Free school breakfasts for all tested by council

stephen77

Missli wrote: »

I get around this by insisting my daughter has at least a glass of milk, toast, and a piece of fruit before leaving the house, if she doesn't like anything else, and stock up with Tesco's value coco snaps (78p) whenever possible so that my son always eats something.
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I get my blender out and put a few bananas in and some milk for a lovely fresh banana milshake. Gets the fruit and milk in one go.
I will admit Its nice for my breakfast as well

ALIBOBSY

My kids are always offered breakfast, but on occasion refuse it or in DD1's case has "got one on her" as we say up here and its all you can do just to drag her out of bed, get her dressed and out the door. After debating which toothpaste she likes/doesn't like, whether her shoes are polished enough, which bag she wants to take, her putting on and taking off 3 pairs of white socks that "just don't feel right", doing her hair in 3 different styles and finally getting her out the door, sometimes breakfast is out the window. So sometimes its down to the kids not the parents, you can hardly ram it down their throats.

But DD2 is 9 almost 10 and not a morning person, on a good day all 4 kids will have a breakfast (eldest is 13 and swings from wanting something and can't be bothered-but they do have a canteen which opens for breakfast as well as lunch so if he gets hungry he can have something later at school), on a bad day just the younger ones.

TBH there is an obsession with breakfast, I am not a morning person and although I was always offered breakfast often didn't want it before school. I managed to get 11 high graded GCSE and 4 A-levels on little breakfast lol.

Our local primary where DD1 and DD2 go the PTFA sell toast at break time (in fact I voluteer for this and make toast one morning a week), if any children have not had a breakfast and the teachers feel they need something they get a freebie. The money raised goes to buying the bread/spread and the leftovers go into PTFA funds which get spent on stuff like subsidising school trips, running free school discos or treats for the kids.

The children who attend the breakfast club before school get a breakfast in with their cost, but this is obviously aimed at people who need to get to work early. They also have an after school club for workers. In theory a child could go from 7.30am to 6pm, but that seems a long day to me.

The school did do a pilot week last year to see what happened, where kids could go in 30 mins early and have a breakfast for free. TBH the teachers said they felt the food didn't make much difference, but the kids being in for the extra 30 mins and easing into the school day meant the kids were ready to settle as soon as the day proper began.

Mind you we live in a semi rural area (school has around 100 pupils all in), so I imagine in an inner city with children from more challenging backgrounds it may well be more of an issue.

Ali x

MothballsWallet

qetu1357 wrote: »

This problem is worse among primary pupils, says the Kellogg's report, because they find it harder than secondary pupils to "fend for themselves".

So how balanced is this report if it was done by a cereal manufacturer?

barbarawright

aileth wrote: »

They were hammering on about people living below the poverty line and thus not being able to provide breakfast, but it's the cheapest and most important meal of the day! How much does an economy box of cornflakes and milk cost, really? And it'll last you at least a few days!

I used to know a girl who was 11, woke herself up for school, got herself dressed, showered and made her own breakfast, before making sure to lock the door and go to school herself, while her mum stayed in bed because she wanted a lie in (every single day). It wouldn't surprise me if that is the real reason why kids don't get breakfast.

What sort of 11 year old can't have a shower without supervision and make some toast? Well, obviously I know that some will need help but surely most can manage these complex tasks on their own. I certainly could, and did simply because my parents' time-table was different to me. As long as food is available, what is the problem?

kiss_me_now9

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

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But DD2 is 9 almost 10 and not a morning person, on a good day all 4 kids will have a breakfast (eldest is 13 and swings from wanting something and can't be bothered-but they do have a canteen which opens for breakfast as well as lunch so if he gets hungry he can have something later at school), on a bad day just the younger ones.

I'm exactly the same, preferred the extra ten minutes in bed than breakfast - plus breakfast always used to make me feel sick (I have to be awake for at least half an hour before I can eat and keep it down even now).

Doesn't seem to have done me any harm, I'm just about to finish my UG degree. Didn't get great A levels but that was for a completely different reason!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Better teach the children to make their own. When I did beaver scouts, as part of healthy living,mi got them to go through fruits an make sandwiches each.

DevilsAdvocate1

aileth wrote: »

They were hammering on about people living below the poverty line and thus not being able to provide breakfast, but it's the cheapest and most important meal of the day! How much does an economy box of cornflakes and milk cost, really? And it'll last you at least a few days!

I used to know a girl who was 11, woke herself up for school, got herself dressed, showered and made her own breakfast, before making sure to lock the door and go to school herself, while her mum stayed in bed because she wanted a lie in (every single day). It wouldn't surprise me if that is the real reason why kids don't get breakfast.

My mum did that - From the age of 8 I got up and sorted myself out and then went out for the school bus. Until recently I thought it was normal :rotfl:

I always get up for my children.

qetu1357

MothballsWallet wrote: »

So how balanced is this report if it was done by a cereal manufacturer?

Maybe. But what the report says is backed up by both teachers and children's charities.

Fosterdog

I used to work in a breakfast club, it was a paid one when I started there and all of the children came from homes where parents had to be in work before school started. It wasn't actually about the food it was childcare before school, some children came in already fed while others got to stay in bed a bit longer and we provided food.

It was essential to these parents, they had no other form of childcare and without it they wouldn't be able to work (at least not in the jobs they were in).

It changed to a free club after I had been there for a year and we suddenly found an increase in children who's parent's don't work at all being sent there. Again it wasn't really about them being fed it was an excuse to get them out of the house for longer.

On the positive side every one of the children who attended had a range of good healthy breakfast options, they could eat as much or as little as they liked. Parents would warn us how fussy their children were but when they are surrounded by others eating a healthy breakfast it doesn't take long for them to join in.