Wandsworth wants to carry on ‘free breakfast’ clubs in junior schools

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

Free breakfasts will be offered to pupils at 40 primary schools in Wandsworth from September.

The borough’s council is set to extend a pilot scheme it launched in January last year to all primary schools that want to join, at a yearly cost of £320,000.

More than 3,000 children at 20 primary schools in Wandsworth now receive free breakfasts each morning as a result of the pilot scheme, run in partnership with charity Magic Breakfast, a report by council officers said.

The authority expects another 20 primary schools to join the scheme when it is extended as part of its new school food strategy, which aims to tackle food poverty in the cost-of-living crisis.

The report said primary schools involved in the trial scheme have reported less hunger among pupils, better punctuality and a greater readiness to learn.

It added the number of children eligible for free school meals in Wandsworth is rising and stood at a record high of 9,460 in January, which is 29 per cent of the borough’s maintained and academy school population – up from 17 per cent in 2019.

Praising the scheme, Labour councillor Annamarie Critchard said: “This seems absolutely fabulous and it seems like a very small investment in order to help children learn and learn well.”

Pictured top: Wandsworth town hall (Picture: Google Street View)