Merthyr Tydfil Schools Engaging With Communities Regarding Breakfast Clubs
In response to the increasing financial pressure on public services across Wales including schools, the Schools Forum in Merthyr Tydfil has been reviewing school services so that they have the maximum impact on learning, provide good value for money and are delivered as economically as possible.
Following this review the Schools Forum have identified a number of non-core services that can be modified to achieve the financial savings required for 2017-18 and beyond.
One of the areas reviewed is the provision of breakfast clubs in Nursery/Primary school settings
Breakfast Clubs
The Free Breakfast in Primary Schools was introduced into legislation as part of the Schools Standards & Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 although many schools had already introduced ‘Breakfast Clubs’ earlier via the Welsh Governments grant funded scheme from as far back as 2004.
The Free Breakfast Scheme is aimed at providing all learners at maintained nursery/primary schools with the opportunity of receiving a free, healthy breakfast at school each day.
A free breakfast provision is intended to help improve the health and concentration of all children to assist in raising the standards of learning and attainment.
Welsh Government recommend that ‘breakfast should normally be provided approximately 30 minutes before the start of the school day’.
Schools Forum Recommendation
The Schools Forum have recommended that from September 2017 breakfast club provision be amended to operate for 30 minutes prior to start of the school day in line with Welsh Government guidance instead of the current time of between 40 and 50 minutes.
The current breakfast club provision includes not only serving time for breakfasts and but also the supervision of pupils until the start of the school day.
It has been estimated that this change to 30 minute breakfast clubs will ensure that pupils still have sufficient time to enjoy a healthy breakfast and enable all schools to make necessary financial savings.
Schools are seeking to engage with all stakeholders during a four week engagement period from Monday 21st November to Friday 16th December 2016.
Engagement with Parents/Carers
An engagement questionnaire has been provided for all parents/carers to complete, both those that use the breakfast club and those who do not.
Schools have the following options:
- They could continue with the current breakfast club provision
- They could agree with the recommended change to 30 minute provision
- They could change the timing of the breakfast club to suit the needs of the school community
- They could consider introducing chargeable childcare as a school alongside the free breakfast club service which would open later than at present.
We would like your views to help us make a decision.
Each school’s Governing Body will consider the responses received from this engagement exercise and will also consider the views of breakfast club staff, Trade Unions and the local authority before taking a decision regarding Breakfast Club provision.
Parents/Carers will be notified of outcomes from the engagement and any decision that has been taken before the end of the Spring Term 2017.
To take part in the engagement exercise follow this link.
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