The nine South Tyneside schools set to benefit from free breakfast club initiative
Schools in South Tyneside have joined a Government scheme to encourage healthier eating habits across parts of the UK.
Nine South Tyneside schools have benefited from a government scheme to support healthy eating among kids.
A total of 83 schools across the North East are starting new breakfast clubs this week as part of a new Government initiative.
Looking to support children in deprived areas of the country, the clubs got underway on Monday.
Nine schools with new breakfast clubs
The nine schools with new clubs in place from this week are Simonside Primary, Biddick Hall Infants, Ridgeway Primary Academy, Marine Park Primary, Dunn Street Primary, Stanhope Primary, West Boldon Primary, St Bede’s Catholic Primary and Ashley Academy.
The announcement is part of a series of new standards to tackle childhood obesity.
Schools will no longer be able to offer ‘grab and go’ options like sausage rolls and pizza every day, while deep fried food will be banned completely under the plans.
The move comes after parent polling revealed three quarters are concerned by the food their children are eating. Tooth decay from diets high in sugar is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine.
The biggest overhaul of school meals in a generation
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Today we are launching the most ambitious overhaul of school food in a generation, and it is long overdue.
“Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive, meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that good standards on paper become good food on the plate.
“From our free breakfast clubs to extending free school meals to over half a million more children, this means good-quality food from the moment children arrive at school to the end of the day.”
To ensure plans are beneficial for schools and parents alike, the Government has launched a nine week consultation. Parents and children are invited to have their say on the healthier options that have been developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts.
The new free clubs will offer places for up to 18,000 more children across the North East, taking the total number of those able to benefit following the 62 early adopter schools that launched last year to 31,000.