Free breakfast clubs will open at 750 schools – with more to follow, after the Labour government began to follow through on an election pledge to provide “healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts” to children who need them.
From April, 180,000 school pupils in England will be offered the breakfasts, for which Labour is offering £30 million in funding.
The move has been welcomed by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) – but it also voiced concerns that funding could fall short.
The former Tory government resisted free school meals – prompting celebrity footballer Marcus Rashford to launch successful campaigns to shame Boris Johnson (and others) into providing food for youngsters during the Covid-19 crisis.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Healthy food at regular intervals is vital for children, but Tory policies have forced millions into poverty and Labour has yet to reverse that trend, meaning it became extremely difficult for parents to provide the food their children needed. Some famished youngsters were said to have resorted to stealing from other children’s lunchboxes.
Here‘s Charlotte Hughes of The Poor Side of Life to explain why this issue is so important:
The effects of hunger and malnutrition on a child’s learning can be very profound. Children who experience hunger often find it difficult to concentrate and focus, affecting their memory and cognitive abilities.
This can also lead to behavioral issues, affecting their interactions with others and their overall development.
Moreover, poor nutrition can significantly affect a child’s physical development, leading to a lack of energy, poor growth, and an increased likelihood of illness.
One recent study found that children who experienced hunger were more likely to have lower academic performance and to struggle with basic literacy and numeracy. Children who eat more healthily and more varied diets also have better cognitive abilities, and in many cases have better academic outcomes.
She said she found it easy to believe the Tories were deliberately starving poor children so their privileged offspring would have an academic advantage in the future. This Writer can well believe it too.
I also said I doubted that Keir Starmer’s Labour government would do much to change matters. The announcement of the new breakfast clubs has gone some way towards changing my mind – but I would still challenge ministers to follow through fully by ending child poverty altogether.
Go on – prove me wrong.
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Free breakfast clubs will open at 750 schools
Free breakfast clubs will open at 750 schools – with more to follow, after the Labour government began to follow through on an election pledge to provide “healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts” to children who need them.
From April, 180,000 school pupils in England will be offered the breakfasts, for which Labour is offering £30 million in funding.
The move has been welcomed by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) – but it also voiced concerns that funding could fall short.
The former Tory government resisted free school meals – prompting celebrity footballer Marcus Rashford to launch successful campaigns to shame Boris Johnson (and others) into providing food for youngsters during the Covid-19 crisis.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
Healthy food at regular intervals is vital for children, but Tory policies have forced millions into poverty and Labour has yet to reverse that trend, meaning it became extremely difficult for parents to provide the food their children needed. Some famished youngsters were said to have resorted to stealing from other children’s lunchboxes.
Here‘s Charlotte Hughes of The Poor Side of Life to explain why this issue is so important:
She said she found it easy to believe the Tories were deliberately starving poor children so their privileged offspring would have an academic advantage in the future. This Writer can well believe it too.
I also said I doubted that Keir Starmer’s Labour government would do much to change matters. The announcement of the new breakfast clubs has gone some way towards changing my mind – but I would still challenge ministers to follow through fully by ending child poverty altogether.
Go on – prove me wrong.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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