IT'S GRRREAT

Free breakfast clubs will feed 4.6m children

- LIZZY BUCHAN

THE shameful spectre of kids going into lessons hungry could soon be a thing of the past thanks to the rollout of free breakfast clubs.

A year-long pilot of the scheme starts in April in 750 English primary schools and will be extended to include all 16,764 in 2026. That means 4.6 million kids will be eligible for free breakfasts, regardless of household income.

Schools can start applying to be part of the pilot from today.

It is well known hungry pupils can struggle with learning. Figures show there are 4.3 million children living in relative poverty in the UK.

Schools Minister Stephen Morgan said yesterday the free breakfast scheme hopes to address that and slash soaring childcare costs.

Speaking on a visit to Penwortham Primary School, in Streatham, South London, he added: "We're fully committed to breaking the link between background and opportunity, and the first step towards that, we believe, is investing in breakfast clubs in every primary school.