Breakfast clubs for all children will bring many benefits, I am proud Labour are delivering them

Fixing the foundations of our country. That is something we have heard ad nauseum from our Prime Minister and Chancellor since Labour took office in July, and for good reason. 14 years of mismanagement by successive Conservative governments have stretched public services and torn apart the social fabric of our nation.

Sadly, this is acutely seen in our education system. Take a look and what do you see? Children going hungry inside crumbling schools.

To truly fix foundations, we must start at the very beginning by ensuring our children are given the very best start in life. It’s clear to me that rollout of breakfast clubs is one of the vital ways to ensure this.

Primary school is an exciting and important period of development for young children. Every day they are learning and socialising, growing up and beginning to face the challenges of the real world. But they cannot do this on empty stomachs.

According to the Sutton Trust, 38% of state school teachers have seen growing numbers of pupils coming to school hungry and one in ten of young people live in households classed as food insecure. To allow this to continue would be a complete abdication of duty and a betrayal of our children’s futures.

Universal breakfast clubs will allow all children, no matter the socioeconomic background they are born into or familial challenges they face, to have a nutritious decent meal to energise and fuel them through their busy days of learning. Success at school should not be dependent on the stability of family life.

In Wales, where they have rolled out universal free breakfast clubs, its educational benefits are there for all to see. The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that attendance at breakfast clubs has resulted in improved healthy eating, a reduction in children skipping breakfast and raised attainment for pupils from the age of seven. Even those who do not attend breakfast clubs have seen the benefits with classroom becoming calmer, more focussed environments. These are improvements to our children’s attainment and morale which cannot be ignored.

As the Member of Parliament for Slough, I have a particular interest in this matter, because we are the youth capital of Britain. A quarter of my constituents are under the age of 15. However, sadly 21% of children in Slough live in relative poverty and 14% in absolute poverty. We must ensure our children have a better chance at reaching their potential. A better chance of escaping the vicious cycle of poverty.

Furthermore, breakfast clubs do not just address educational and economic inequalities. They also help to tackle a range of other important issues. In Slough, 26% of children aged 11 to 12 are obese, and sadly my constituents experience a higher-than average prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Healthy habits start early, so ensuring all children are given a meal that is nutritious and healthy when they come to school will not only improve attainment, but also health outcomes.

Currently, 20% of mothers who have their youngest child in primary school are unemployed and 35% are in part-time employment. Universal Breakfast Clubs will provide greater access to round the clock care, meaning that parents do not have to dictate their careers around the school run, ensuring groups underrepresented in the workplace will have more support and independence to find full-time employment. This is just one part of the Labour government’s mission to smash the glass ceiling, as well as the class ceiling.

The IFS reports that families whose children use breakfast clubs five days a week during term time save a staggering £760 – a significant saving for working parents. Imagine the money we could keep in working people’s pockets if every parent had access to breakfast clubs.

This new government has committed itself to delivering the very best for future generations – so that our children are turning up to school, learning and developing, as well as being fed and fuelled with healthy nutritious food. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.