Stafford school hosts free breakfast club as part of new government programme

A Stafford school has welcomed more than 50 pupils for early breakfast as part of a new government initiative.

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Landywood Primary School, on Holly Lane, Great Wryley, was chosen as one of only a number of schools to adopt an early morning breakfast scheme that provides free meals for pupils in reception to year six.

The scheme is a government initiative that looks to tackle child poverty while 'breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving children a supportive start to their school day.

Landywood Primary School was one of the schools chosen to become an 'Early Adopter School' with the group hosting their first free breakfast on Monday.

Pupils were able to get a bite to eat with the new national free breakfast program at Landywood school, Great Wyrley. Helen Lloyd with Arlo Potter.

Talking about the initiative, Andrew Clewer, headteacher at Landywood Primary School, said: "The first day has gone great. So far, 184 families have registered their interest in the programme, which is incredible, and shows the impact this will have on Landywood's families.

"There has been a lot of excitement from the children about the project and we are looking forward to welcoming the children into school early each morning to enjoy getting ready for their day ahead whilst enjoying time with their friends and staff."

Mr Clewer said that organising the 'Landywood Breakfast Bistro' was a 'daunting task' however, he added that staffing levels are a key factor in the programme, thanking the staff for their hard work on the first day.

The new programme gives children a chance to eat and socialise with friends before starting their school day

He said: "Initially, it was quite daunting trying to work out how we would feed up to 400+ children, while also organising a range of engaging activities all taking place in just 30 minutes.

"However, staffing levels are a key factor in this programme. A huge thank you to our staff team who have been so supportive regarding this opportunity for our families with many staff kindly offering to come into school early to support the children."

The 'Landywood Breakfast Bistro' will see children given the opportunity to develop their independence, with children able to self-serve their own cereal and milk each morning while being supported by staff.

Children can also choose from a range of toasts, bagels, muffins and pancakes, with each day featuring a 'daily special', which will include healthy apple and cinnamon focaccia bread and banana and oat muffins.

After eating, the pupils will also be able to sit with friends, where they can watch the NewsRound TV programme, read books and play board games, or go outside to participate in different sports starting their morning classes.