Breakfast club is meal deal
More than 300,000 breakfasts have been served in South Lanarkshire schools since August last year.
Breakfast clubs – which are free for anyone who wants to use them – have now been rolled out to almost every primary school in the area.
And almost 5600 children attend every week, equivalent to roughly 25 per cent of the entire school roll.
Chairwoman of the council’s Education Resources Committee, Councillor Katy Loudon, said: “Breakfast clubs were introduced primarily to tackle poverty and close the equity gap. National research has shown that a proportion of pupils are not eating breakfast and are arriving at school hungry – having a negative impact on their wellbeing, learning and behaviour.
“That’s why we believe breakfast clubs are so important. Starting off the day with something healthy and wholesome to eat can make such a difference.
“Our breakfast clubs also allow for social interaction, improved attendance, enhanced learning opportunities and improved school relations with parents. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of parents grateful for the opportunities the club offers, including allowing them to get to work or helping with finances.”
Head teachers have also noted a general increase in concentration, readiness to learn and improvements in attendance and timekeeping.
It was agreed at the Education Resources Committee that the breakfast clubs will continue for school session 2020/21.