Last week, four schools across Lambeth launched new free breakfast clubs, breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty in the borough.
It is estimated that this will save families up to £450 a year, offering much-needed support during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Ensuring children in Lambeth start the day ready to learn, breakfast clubs are proven to boost attendance and attainment. They are a valuable source of childcare for parents at the beginning of the day, boosting parents’ work choices and children’s life chances. A local parent described this as a ‘lifeline’ for their family.
The schools in Lambeth are among the early adopters helping to shape a national rollout—delivering on Labour’s manifesto pledge to provide breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school across the country.
The breakfast clubs build on the work Lambeth Labour is currently doing. This year, over 16,000 families have been provided with financial support during the school holidays, expanding eligibility and provision of Free School Meals (FSM) and helping more families on low incomes.
In addition to the thousands of children already receiving free school meals in Lambeth, the council has auto-enrolled over 1,500 additional pupils through our auto-award approach, saving families around £600 per child each year and securing £3 million in extra funding for Lambeth schools.
In 2022, Lambeth Labour pledged to work to end child poverty and make Lambeth the best borough to grow up and age well in. These new breakfast clubs are a key step in delivering on that.
Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Councillor Ben Kind, welcomed the news:
“For far too long, children have started the school day hungry and not ready to learn, and while we have worked hard locally to change this, it is great to have a government on our side and fighting for young people in Lambeth.
From helping with flexible working for families to improving behaviour and attendance, the supportive start to the day that breakfast clubs provide will help drive high and rising standards for every child in Lambeth.
Breakfast clubs are Labour values in action, helping families out with the support they need most.”
a local parent at Henry Fawcett Primary School:
“As a single mother of four in a low income household, mornings are often a race against the clock. Between getting the children ready and taking my youngest to nursery, preparing a proper breakfast can be incredibly difficult.
On top of that, we are also struggling with overcrowding at home, which makes mornings even more stressful. This scheme has been a real blessing helping me to get the kids ready on time, out the door, and off to school with a nutritious meal to start their day.
Knowing my children are well-fed and ready to learn lifts a huge weight off my shoulders. It’s one less thing to worry about, and it helps set them up for a positive and focused day at school.”