Kent schools among first for breakfast club scheme

Eleven schools in Kent will be part of a government breakfast club rollout

Eleven schools in Kent are to be among the first to offer free school breakfast clubs as part of a Government scheme.

Schools in Ashford, Margate and Sevenoaks are among those chosen to pilot the new scheme from April until June before it is then expanded.

The schools chosen for the trial are expected to offer a free breakfast to all pupils and at least 30 minutes of childcare before school.

Clubs in the county will receive a share of £7 million in funding to kick start the plan, which Labour says will save families up to £450 a year.

Schools taking part in the pilot scheme are:

• Downs View Infant School, Ashford

• Kingsnorth CofE Primary School, Ashford

• Salmestone Primary School, Margate

• Laddingford Primary School

• St Edmund's CE Primary School, Sevenoaks

• Westmeads Community Infant School, Whitstable

• Knockhall Primary School, Greenhithe

• Chilmington Green Primary School, Ashford

• Sunny Bank Primary, Sittingbourne

• St. Helen's CofE Primary School, Cliffe

• Meadows School, Southborough

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the breakfast clubs will have a "transformative impact on the lives of children".

If the pilot is successful, plans for a national expansion could begin later in the year.

The headteachers' union welcomed the expansion of breakfast clubs, which some schools already run, but expressed concerns that funding would fall short of the cost.