Shadow Minister for Children and Young Families, and MP for Newcastle North, Catherine McKinnell used Education Questions in the Commons this afternoon (21st November) to challenge Ministers about their support for school breakfast clubs.

Catherine raised the concerns recently expressed by Greggs’ Chief Executive, Ken McMeikan, (http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2011/10/08/greggs-boss-s-fury-at-eric-pickles-dustbin-decision-61634-29559346/) about the Coalition’s failure to properly fund breakfast clubs, whilst at the same time finding £250million to fund weekly refuse collections.

Catherine recently joined Mr McMeikan to visit a breakfast club at Beech Hill Primary School in West Denton in her constituency, which is funded by the Greggs Breakfast Club programme. This programme operates in 171 primary schools across the country to provide a healthy, free breakfast to up to 8,000 children (http://www.catherinemckinnellmp.co.uk/?p=1368).

Catherine said:
“I have seen for myself just how important breakfast clubs are in raising awareness of healthy eating, whilst also supporting children’s health and development.

“And an extensive study by Northumbria University into the impact of breakfast clubs in the North East showed that they can help improve a child’s attendance, concentration and memory.

“But one in eight of Britain’s breakfast clubs closed this year, and half of those remaining are thought to be under threat as schools face budget cuts and ring-fencing for ‘wraparound’ services is lifted. All at a time when malnutrition, and even scurvy, are rising and we are seeing increasing numbers of children coming into school hungry.

“Ken McMeikan was absolutely right to question the priorities of a Government that can manage to find £250million to support rubbish collections, whilst being unable to properly fund breakfast clubs which have proven benefits for some of the most disadvantaged children in our communities.”