Twenty-five schools in Devon are among the first in the country to offer free, daily breakfast clubs, the Government has confirmed.

From April, all primary-aged children in schools identified in the first phase of the Government programme will be able to access a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free childcare every day.

The free breakfast clubs will be available for half an hour before the start of the school day.

It’s thought that they will support parents getting into work by enabling them to drop their children off half an hour earlier. The introduction of funded (free) breakfast clubs, which will be available for half an hour before the start of the school day.

Schools in the first phase were chosen from across England, in locations where there aren’t currently breakfast clubs.

All the schools will receive Government funding towards food and staffing costs.

In the South Hams, These will include: Charleton Church of England Academy, Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy, and Bidwell Brook School.

The schools are encouraged to offer healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts. They’ll also provide settings to host activities, including arts and crafts, educational puzzles, reading and more.

The Government’s announcement this week said that universal free breakfasts are central to its plans, removing barriers to opportunity by making sure every child starts the day ready to learn.

It said that breakfast clubs have been shown to boost children’s reading, writing and maths by an average of two months.

And that breakfast clubs are part of a raft of Government measures designed to cut the cost of living for families.

Learning from the schools in the first phase of the programme will shape the future of the Government’s national breakfast club policy.

Wraparound funding is already available from the Government for schools to apply for. For more, please visit Devon County Councils website.