Free breakfast clubs offer will continue in Swansea

Swansea Council is gearing up to continue to provide thousands of breakfasts to city primary school youngsters every morning from September.

Almost every primary school in Swansea has been making use of the free breakfast clubs over the last few years and it is hoped governing bodies will decide how to fund any additional childcare elements of the service when new arrangements are introduced.

The breakfasts have been served up for free by Swansea Council under a Welsh Government initiative to provide breakfasts to primary school pupils when governing bodies have requested them.

However, after the school summer holidays, parents and governing bodies will have to decide how to fund any extra childcare if that is provided over and above the breakfast period.

Swansea Council has decided to delay the introduction of the new arrangements to enable schools and parents plenty of time to prepare.

Jen Raynor, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “We are continuing to provide breakfasts free to every primary school which wants the service, as is required by the Welsh Government.

“All the funding for breakfast clubs is spent on the breakfast service in line with Welsh Government guidance. Due to budget reductions the council cannot continue to provide the additional childcare cost of the service as we have done in the past.

“The changes mean schools will still be able to provide their pupils with a free 30 minute breakfast club and can, if they wish, charge parents who may want to bring their child to school earlier. We have suggested a maximum of £1 per hour. Where else in Swansea can you get up to an hour and half of quality child supervision for £1?”

She added: “Breakfast clubs will still be in place at every school which wants them, so parents can drop off their children knowing they will have a healthy start to the day.”

The Welsh Government recommends that the service can be provided within a 30 minute time slot although, in a small number of cases where there are a large number of breakfasts which need to be served, the council will extend its share of the service.

Parents will be informed directly by the school about their governing body’s decision to continue or not with the service. If they are continuing parents will also be informed about timings and any charges for additional childcare.

The Council will also be providing information to parents on its website as soon as it is available from schools to help them to plan for their children’s start to the day.