Island Labour share this latest news. Ed
Families across the Isle of Wight will see the cost of going to school slashed even further from September, as Labour confirms caps on branded uniforms and more free breakfast clubs.
Parents at 1,400 more schools nationwide will save up to £450 through free breakfast clubs from September, when more than 2,700 will be up and running. It means Labour has smashed its target of adding 2,000 schools to the programme this year. Over 680,000 children will attend them after the summer holidays – up from 300,000 today.
Three more schools join breakfast club scheme
Three more Island schools will join the programme this Autumn. Children at Greenmount, Newchurch, and Oakfield will soon be joining those at Barton, Brading and Gatton and Lake primary schools, who are already enjoying Labour’s free breakfast clubs.
Best Start free breakfasts clubs are already delivering cumulative savings of nearly £25million to families by serving up over 10 million free breakfasts and five million hours of childcare unlocked.
For a family using their club every day that’s worth up to £450 and 95 hours a year, or nearly two working weeks back on the morning juggle. Children arrive more settled, fed and ready to learn from the moment the school day begins.
Uniform cost limits come into force
In addition, from September, schools on the Isle of Wight must comply with the new legal limits on the number of branded uniform items they can require. It means parents can buy more of the everyday basics, like trousers and shirts, from any shop or supermarket rather than one pricey supplier. It comes after polling found a third of parents still worry about uniform costs.
Taken together, heading back to school under Labour is now set to be almost £1,000 cheaper for many families. A child could benefit from up to £450 a year through a free breakfast club and up to £500 a year through the expansion of free school meals to every household on Universal Credit – on top of cheaper uniform as the new branded-item limit bites.
Labour are backing the Island’s children with increased investment in SEN provision, major upgrades to five Island schools through the School Rebuilding Programme, and now this expansion of our free breakfast club programme.
Real change happening now,’ says Rafferty
Island Labour’s Jock Rafferty said,
“Labour is working hard to cut the cost of living for Island parents. Free breakfast clubs are good for nutrition, good for development and good for parents too – providing more flexibility and lower costs. And it doesn’t stop there, Labour is bringing down the cost of school uniforms too.
“I know families on the Isle of Wight want to see change come faster – I do too. Action like this won’t end the cost of living crisis on its own but it is a step in the right direction.
“Thanks to these changes some families will be £1,000 better off – that’s real change, happening now, delivered by Labour.”
