Head teacher criticizes government breakfast club as costly

Barbara Middleton, head teacher of Shiremoor Primary School in Newcastle, has so far declined to take up the government's free breakfast club offer due to financial and logistical challenges. According to BBC News - Business, Middleton described the funding as insufficient to afford the employees needed to run the club safely. One key issue is that schools must allocate at least 30 minutes before lessons begin for the breakfast, which Middleton said would be difficult to staff and logistically difficult for her school, forcing it to accommodate more than 300 children in one hall. She added that letting children eat breakfasts in class before lessons would not be feasible, as this is when teachers prepare for the day ahead.

The Department for Education said many schools have told it the scheme is fair and workable, with 145 schools in north-east England now enrolled. Schools receive £25 a day plus £1 per pupil taking part from the government, funds intended to cover both food and staffing costs. In contrast, head teacher Craig Brown of Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School in Ferryhill has signed up to the scheme and will begin offering the free club later this month. Brown estimates the school will receive about £10,000 from the government over the next academic year, though this will not cover the total costs of running the program. According to BBC News - Business, Brown described the government offer as more appealing because he was already staffing the school to look after children before lessons began.

Middleton's school currently offers bagels to each child every morning, in part through funding it receives through the charity Magic Breakfast, with children receiving a bagel even if they are late to school. It remains unknown how many schools nationwide have declined to participate due to similar financial or logistical concerns, or what the total cost per school to run the breakfast club is compared to the government funding on average.