FOR mum Amy Richards, the school breakfast club is a lifeline, just as it is for hundreds of thousands of British families. The 38-year-old, from Weston-super-Mare, has a terminal brain tumour and severe epilepsy and her son, seven, and partner have autism. “My son has separation anxiety, and the teacher would struggle to get him off me and into the classroom,” Amy says. “Now, the breakfast club means he eats and plays with his best friend before school starts. It has made a huge difference. Things are not great with the cost of living for us.”.

For other families in the town, including at Bournville Primary School, families are relieved to have the option of breakfast clubs offered by a charity, ahead of Labour's pilot scheme to do the same for 750 schools which kicks off in a few weeks time. And the kids are none the wiser as they argue over which breakfast item is superior - cereal or bagels. “The good thing is we can pick what breakfast we want,” says Millie, seven. “I like bagels and cereal, but cereal is my favourite. I have it with a glass or milk or squash. I concentrate better in class if I eat breakfast too.”.

Ovuchi, five, can’t decide between friends or breakfast. “I love cereal,” he says. “And I like chatting to my friends at the breakfast club.”. Emily, eight, is firmly on Team Shreddies. She adds: “Breakfast club helps me learn better and I like spending time with my friends before school.”. Serving the breakfast is learning support assistant Michelle Thompson, aka ‘The Bagel Queen’. “If we didn’t have the school breakfast club, there would be some children coming to school hungry,” she says. “Having breakfast is massively important, especially when kids’ stomachs are rumbling. Just having that quick bite to eat can get rid of those hunger pangs. It’s brain food.”.

Weston-super-Mare is 140 miles from Westminster, but a quiet breakfast revolution is happening here that ministers hope will soon transform the lives of millions of children across the UK. While Labour’s plan to charge VAT on fees for private schools – attended by 6.5 per cent of the country – dominates the headlines, the money has been earmarked to offer children across the state sector a healthy breakfast, as well as recruit 6,500 new teachers.

A pilot across 750 schools starts in just a few weeks time – meaning hundreds of thousands of children will soon get the breakfast so many Bournville kids already enjoy thanks to a partnership with the charity Magic Breakfast. Schools can now apply to be among the first 750 - with Labour saying it will use the results of the pilot before rolling out the scheme nationally. With 4.3 million children living in poverty according to Food Foundation figures, the clubs can’t come soon enough.

Less than a mile from the much-loved bucket-and-spade beach at Weston- super-Mare, Bournville is not only one of the most deprived postcodes in Somerset, but the country. The Magic Breakfast scheme has been running for eight years, meaning many kids in the school have always had breakfast here. Around 100 of the school’s 510 pupils attend – and the school charges just 50p towards staff costs. For mum Amy, who ran two businesses for 17 years before quitting her job eight years ago, during which time she’s had four brain surgeries, providing breakfast every day is one less thing to worry about. She’s in the middle of a change from disability benefits to Universal Credit. Her partner is on a sabbatical as Amy’s unpaid carer.

Other local parents also speak movingly of the difference Magic Breakfast has made to their lives. “My eight-year-old daughter comes to the breakfast club at 8am, before I head into work,” says Andrea Parker, 48, a quantity surveyor. Her husband is a construction site manager. “Having the breakfast and after school clubs really helps with childcare costs, it allows me to work full-time. My husband works away a lot and we have no family around – if it wasn’t for the clubs I would be stumped.”.

Andrea says that like its name, the club is “magical”. “Childcare costs are a big challenge for us,” she says. “The school asks for a 50p donation towards the breakfast club. Breakfast and hanging out with their friends before lessons start really sets them up for the day. “Cost-of-living has hit us, especially during covid – we had health issues, and my husband wasn’t getting paid. We watch our money now.”.

Michelle Richards, 36, a mum-of-two, works part-time as a receptionist. Her husband is a mechanic. Even so, “I always say you’re just one bad bill away from being on your bum,” she says. “Breakfast club is vital for us. Breakfast is brain food, and they get such a good variety of things to choose from. In our household we’ve definitely cut back on heating and electricity. Food is costing so much more than before.”.