Primary schools across Salford have launched free breakfast clubs to help combat rising food insecurity and ensure every child starts the day ready to learn.
The initiative comes as more families face growing financial pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis – with both St. Joseph’s Worker RC and New Park Academy were selected.
With increasing struggles to afford basic essentials like gas, electricity, and nutritious food – and for many, a proper breakfast has become a luxury they can’t always provide – and for the new initiative both St. Joseph’s Worker RC and New Park Academy were selected.
Sarah Whitehead, director of the local social enterprise Community Pride and leader of the Salford Poverty Truth Commission, said food insecurity is one of the most pressing issues raised by families in the city.
“Our Families and Parents Task Group spoke directly to Salford parents, and what came through loud and clear was how difficult it is to afford healthy meals
“When children come to school hungry, it affects their concentration, their energy, their ability to learn. A hungry child is a child who cannot reach their full potential,” Sarah said.
Teachers across the city have reported noticeable improvements in focus and classroom engagement when students receive a healthy breakfast.
But while the clubs are a welcome addition, many schools are worried about how they will continue to fund them amid ongoing financial pressures.
“Schools are already doing so much—providing food parcels, helping with uniforms, supporting families wherever they can,” Sarah continued: “To then ask them to fund breakfast clubs too is adding to an already heavy burden.”
The breakfast club initiative has also received praise at a national level, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer voicing his support, stating: “No child should go to school hungry. Free breakfast clubs are a lifeline for families and a vital investment in our children’s future.
“It’s time we prioritised children’s health and education as a basic right, not a privilege.”T
Sarah also shared a personal reflection, recalling her own experiences as a child in a low-income family, she continued: “Sometimes I went to school with just a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps.
“By lunchtime, I’d be starving and unable to focus. It’s an experience many children today still live through—and it shouldn’t be this way.”
As the clubs roll out across Salford, hopes are high that they will not only provide immediate relief but also spark wider action to tackle the root causes of poverty.
For many in the city, this is about more than just food—it’s about giving every child an equal shot at success.
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