Schools
New free breakfast club at special school in Walsall proving cereal-ously popular
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A new and free school breakfast club in Walsall is proving popular with children and their families.
Oakwood School is one of five schools in Walsall currently taking part in the government’s new breakfast club pilot scheme, aiming to give children the best start in life.
Oakwood School supports pupils with severe, profound and multiple special educational needs and disabilities, including pupils with Autism. The new breakfast club scheme helps families tackle the cost-of-living crisis and enables them juggle work and home life commitments.
Kate Bargh, executive headteacher at Oakwood School, said, “Breakfast Club at Oakwood has been a resounding success from the very beginning, with excellent levels of pupil participation. But it offers far more than an early start and a nutritious breakfast.
“This initiative has significantly enriched our school provision by creating a calm, structured start to the day. Pupils have the opportunity to connect with their peers in a supportive environment that fosters communication, social and emotional development, and independence.
“Many of our pupils take on responsibilities such as setting up breakfast resources in their classrooms or helping with washing up and tidying away. These small but meaningful tasks help prepare them for life beyond school, building confidence and a sense of ownership in their daily routines.”
Opening at 8:30am each morning, children have a choice of cereal, toast and fruit. Staff support children to use aided language tools to share their breakfast choices and build their communication skills.
Approximately half of the children at Oakwood attend the club. One child said that breakfast club makes them feel happy and excited, and another one said that they feel full after their cereal and milk.
“ It’s great to hear the positive feedback about the breakfast club at Oakwood school.
Breakfast clubs offer so many positives to our children and families. Not only do children enjoy a healthy and nutritious breakfast to set them up for a day of learning, but parents are able to drop children off to school earlier too, taking the pressure of juggling work and parenting commitments. “
Government research has suggested that breakfast clubs have been shown to boost children’s reading, writing, and maths by an average of 2 months.
Other schools in Walsall taking part in the national breakfast club pilot scheme are Goldsmith Primary Academy, King Charles Primary School, Pool Hayes Primary School and Rivers Primary Academy.
Breakfast clubs were rolled out across 750 schools in England this April as part of the government’s Plan for Change. 2,000 new schools across the country will join the scheme from April 2026.
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