On 17th December, I wrote to every primary school in Ipswich, to urge them to support the rollout of the Government's new free breakfast club programme.
One of the central missions of the new government is to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, is afforded the opportunity of the best start in life. Education is at the heart of this mission, but far too many children are being denied this opportunity, instead being forced to go to learn on empty stomachs.
Under this scheme, schools can sign up and apply to be one of the 750 'early adopters' which would see families in Ipswich access 30 minutes of quality childcare ahead of the start of the school day as the Government pushes ahead with free breakfast clubs across the country.
I have been a long-standing advocate for breakfast clubs, including when I was a Suffolk County Councillor and Labour's education spokesman. Five years ago, I visited Hillside Primary School to see their breakfast club- so, to see this rolled out across the country is fantastic.
My letter noted the high poverty rate in Ipswich, which had grown to 37% under the previous Conservative government. This amounted to more than 10,000 people in our town.
I know that, here in Ipswich, these clubs will help combat these gross inequalities, and make a huge difference for families; from helping with childcare to the cost of living.
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