Breakfast Club Plus in Wales

Breakfast Club Plus is a UK-wide network that supports breakfast clubs by providing guidance for new clubs and information and best practice for established clubs.

Breakfast Club Plus and ContinYou Cymru's work in Wales supports the national context and policy.

For more information on Breakfast Club Plus, and the work which we do across the UK, please visit the Breakfast Club Plus home page.

Welsh Assembly Government primary school free breakfast initiative

The Welsh Assembly Government made a commitment to provide for all children of primary school age registered in maintained primary schools in Wales to have a free, healthy breakfast at school each day.

It is optional for schools to take up the offer, but for those who wish to do so, it is entirely funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. There is no charge to the school or parents of children attending.

For further information, please visit the primary school free breakfast initiative page.

Independent breakfast club provision

All schools and settings can provide a breakfast club, even if you are not eligable for the primary school free breakfast initiative.

There are many benefits of breakfast clubs for all children and young people.

Visit our getting started pages to find out about the types of club which you could offer and the motivation behind running a breakfast club.

Funding

There are some funding options for schools who wish to provide breakfast clubs independently of the primary school free breakfast initiative.

You can find additional information and advice about funding for your breakfast club on our funding pages.

View all the latest funding opportunities either on our funding news page, or in the latest breakfast bulletin.

Out of school hours childcare provision before school starts

To find out if your club should be registered as formal out of school hours childcare, visit the breakfast club childcare and inspection pages.

If you are offering formal out of school hours childcare, you will need to be inspected by Estyn. Download some useful documents to guide you through the Estyn inspection process from our inspections page.

For further information and advice, contact the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW).

Staffing

If your school is not providing registered childcare, then there are no set adult: pupil ratios. However, we recommend that there are always at least two adults present.

The legal adult/child ratio for registered childcare in Wales is one member of staff for every eight children aged 3-8 years. This includes the children of staff and volunteers.

For more information on staffing options, qualification and for useful staffing resources, visit the breakfast club staffing pages.

You should ensure that all of your staff and volunteers have been CRB checked. 

For further information visit the Criminal Records Bureau (Llinell Wybodaeth am Gofrestru/General Enquiries 0870 90 90 822) or the Criminal Records Unit.

Rules and regulations

For more information on the rules and regulations you must comply with when setting up your breakfast club, please visit the rules and regulations page.

Resources

The Breakfast Club Plus resource pack has been adapted for Welsh schools. Download the English version (PDF file, 1.7 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 1.4 MB).

Useful links 

www.wales.gov.uk/breakfast - Maintained primary schools and Local Authorities in Wales will find guidance and advice on setting up a free breakfast initiative breakfast club; operational issues; funding and other issues.

ContinYou Cymru – Welsh section of the ContinYou site with specific information on setting up and running out of school hours learning clubs, and other useful Welsh resources.

For a list of primary schools who are participating in the breakfast initiative scheme, visit the Welsh Assembly breakfast initiative site.

For more information on the Welsh Assembly Government Health Promoting Schools, please visit www.healtheschool.org.uk.

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids Clubs has advice about setting up and running out-of-school-hours childcare.

My School Lunch - Bridgend: an interactive website about healthy eating and up to date news and information on Bridgend school meals.

WCVA: the voice of the voluntary sector in Wales.

Estyn - Estyn are responsible for school inspections

CSSIW - Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales. Responsible for the regulation of child and early years care in Wales