An outraged mother has threatened to change her child’s school after it announced plans to charge £2 for a ‘free’ breakfast service.
Longhill Primary school in Hull has run a free breakfast club for children starting 45 minutes before the school day for years. However, the club has not offered food since the start of the pandemic.
As it now moves to serve meals again, the school said it will have to charge for the service.
In a letter seen by Hull Live, the primary school states that it cannot fully subsidise the staffing required, and the decision to charge is in line with other schools in the area.
However, one mum - who said she relied on the club so she can work and provide for her family - finds the jump from free service to £2 a steep change, saying “£1 would have been a push, but £2 is pure greed.”
Speaking to Hull Live, she said: “This may force my hand to move my child school just to save money for the month.
“Cut backs need to happen but I did not think moving school would be one of them.”
According to the mother, the charge will apply to all children- regardless of their free school meals status.
She added that there should be an option for pupils to attend the breakfast club without taking food so parents do not have to pay.
As the service has been running for two years without offering food, children are used to eating breakfast at home before going to the club. “So they’re probably still going to want to continue doing that,” the mum said.
“So they’re paying for breakfast that they’re probably not going to eat.”
The government is cutting funding for school breakfast clubs on a national scale from after July this year.
While the national school breakfast programme used to provide schools in deprived areas with supplies at no extra cost, the subsidy will be reduced to 75 per cent and schools will be asked to contribute 25 per cent from other funding sources.
Longhill Primary school has been contacted for comment.
