Children and parents welcome school breakfast club

Amber, Reuben and Louis are among the pupils who have contributed to a rap song celebrating the new breakfast club

Parents of children at a village school have welcomed the launch of a pilot scheme for government-funded breakfast clubs.

Little Dewchurch, in Herefordshire, is one of 750 primary schools across the country taking part in the trial, which sees parents able to access half an hour of free childcare each morning.

The pilot will run until July, after which the programme is expected to be rolled out nationally.

"I think it's really important to... support [working families] so they know their children have got somewhere safe to go, so they can get to work on time," said head of school Nicola Hudson.

Head of school Nicola Hudson said staff had worked with children to decide what the club should offer

Ministers said the scheme, which launched on Tuesday, could save parents £450 a year in childcare costs.

Although Little Dewchurch is part of the pilot, a grant means it can also offer care at the other end of the school day - leading staff to call the scheme the Wraparound Club.

The children have named the room in which the club will be held the Dewi Den - and have even helped write a rap song to celebrate it.

One of them, Reuben, said he thought the scheme was a great idea.

"I feel like it's going to be quite a good change," he said.

Mrs Hudson said children had requested waffles, pancakes, cereal and toast for the breakfast club.

"We also asked them what kind of activities they wanted to do," she added. "I know that the lady that we've hired for our after-school care is a keen baker, so she wants to [start] some baking activities with the children."

Nicolle Bramley, a parent at the school, is running the after-school side of the club

Nicolle Bramley, a parent who is set to run the club at the end of the day, said: "It's so important - it's nice for the kids to see their friends for a little bit longer after school. And it's nice for the mums and dads as well, to be able to come out of work and not have to rush to school.

"At least they've got a little bit longer to get themselves together before they go and get the kids."

Parents Nina and Jim Cooper said the scheme would provide a safe space while they were at work

"Parents' work patterns now are so different," added fellow parent Nina Cooper.

"People need to go to work early, they need to drop their children off early - I think we need [the club]."

Her husband Jim added: "It's a great thing. We [do] longer hours at work, and you've got to have somewhere safe for your children to go – so what better place than here?"

Reuben agreed, saying: "It's good for people to socialise with each other."