Thomas Fairchild Community School, Grasmere Primary School and Nightingale Primary School are providing 30 minutes of state-funded breakfast time for pupils before the start of the school day.
Ahead of its election victory last year, the Labour Party’s manifesto pledged free breakfast clubs in “every primary school in England”, to be paid for by ending tax loopholes and putting the squeeze on tax evaders.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Hackney’s mayor Caroline Woodley said: “Maintained primary schools in Hackney not only offer free school meals thanks to the Mayor of London, but several host breakfast clubs as part of Labour’s new 30 min morning breakfast club trail – rolling out across 750 UK schools from today until July.”
A press release from the Department for Education (DfE) stated that parents were set to save £8,000 through the combination of the initiative and the government’s offer on early years childcare and school uniform cap on branded items.
The DfE spokesperson called it a “watershed moment for families across England” that would provide “a healthy start for kids and a little more breathing room before the school bell rings”.
The release also claimed that, according to new government data, parents were “motivated to take up free breakfast clubs because of their wellbeing benefits”, with 30 per cent of those surveyed believing them to be an opportunity for children to socialise with each other before school.
A Hackney Labour spokesperson said: “No child should be hungry when lessons start.
“This latest move means several more [schools] host breakfast clubs launched as part of the Labour Party’s continuing commitment to better education and to help families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis – and will help to close the disadvantage gap in schools by driving up improvements in attendance, attainment and behaviour.
“It is a good way for children to start their day.”
