Breakfast clubs in reprieve for now

Breakfast clubs in schools across North Lanarkshire have been handed a lifeline with clubs remaining open until a full review has been carried out.

The ruling Labour minority administration this week announced that until the review into the clubs are completed there will be no change to existing clubs at schools across the local authority area.

Council education convener Frank McNally said:“As part of the council budget, passed by councillors in February, it was agreed to undertake a review of breakfast provision in schools.

“Currently one third of our schools do not operate breakfast clubs, including in areas of high deprivation.

“Head teachers have raised concerns that clubs often do not reach those children in the most need.

“For example, those children living in the most chaotic environments often arrive late to school and miss breakfast clubs, or do not receive an evening meal and require a meal before they go home at the end of the school day.

“Until this review process is concluded there will be no change to the existing provision.

“It is hoped that following this review head teachers across the school estate will have the flexibility to offer a breakfast provision, or put in place an arrangement that is best suited to their school.

“Despite supporting these proposals within the council’s cross-party financial sounding board, the local SNP Group has sought to scaremonger and have turned a blind eye to the £150 million of cuts passed to North Lanarkshire by the SNP Government, cuts which are having a devastating impact on vital services.

“The Labour administration in North Lanarkshire will continue to do all we can to protect those in the most need from the disproportionate, unfair austerity measures that has consistently been handed down by SNP MSPs in Edinburgh.”

Meanwhile, the SNP Group in North Lanarkshire has welcomed the decision of the council to keep breakfast clubs open for the foreseeable future.

SNP Kirsten Larson, who tabled a motion at the recent council meeting calling on clubs to remain open, said:“‘I am delighted that the pressure from parents across North Lanarkshire, and from the 33 SNP councillors, has paid off and the Labour/Tory administration has decided not to proceed with this horrible decision.

“It is a proven fact that children are unable to participate in lessons while hungry and removing breakfast clubs will have impacted on the children in our society who need the most support.

“I am calling on the administration to make a similar decision on classroom assistants.

“To claim no job losses as a justification for removing this important post from our schools just isn’t good enough.

“We need to save these positions and, at the very least, maintain the current level of support for our young people.”

I am calling on the administration to make a similar decision on classroom assistants . . . we need to save these posts