Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Rejected
Implicit inclusion of children with SEND in breakfast clubs risks unequal access.
Recommendation
Despite the implicit inclusion of children with SEND in the Bill’s provisions on breakfast clubs, we consider that express inclusion of the needs of those children on the face of the Bill would be a much stronger safeguard against schools failing—for reasons of cost, convenience and accident—to put in place commonsense measures to ensure that children with SEND have equal access to breakfast clubs. There are also implications for local authorities who fund home to school transport for many children with SEND and who would be required to make transport available on a more flexible basis, potentially at additional cost, to enable children to get to a breakfast club. Strengthening the inclusion requirements of breakfast clubs on the face of the Bill would place the onus on the Department for Education to take account of this requirement when allocating funds for the national roll-out of breakfast clubs and making the case to HM Treasury for those monies in the upcoming Spending Review. (Conclusion, Paragraph 30)
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of SEND accessibility but rejects placing express inclusion on the Bill's face, believing it would not alter the intended effect. It outlines existing funding and plans to test and learn from early adopter schools.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Government response to Conclusion seven: We agree on the importance of the new breakfast clubs being accessible for children with special education needs and disabilities. This is why, as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, we are legislating to place a duty on all schools to secure breakfast club provision open to all their pupils, and making it available for all qualifying pupils of the school, regardless of SEND status. We believe that the inclusion of SEND specifically on the face of the bill would not alter the intended effect of the new breakfast clubs duty. We have chosen a broadly representative sample of early adopter schools, which includes special schools and mainstream schools with children with SEND, and we are providing extra funding for SEND children in mainstream schools. We are also funding special schools and alternative provision at a higher rate than mainstream schools. We will continue to test and learn throughout the early adopter phase of the programme how this extra level of funding helps schools and providers ensure children with SEND can access the breakfast clubs. Where transport is identified as a significant barrier to successfully delivering the breakfast clubs programme, schools should work in partnership with their local authorities to consider what viable solutions may be available. We will also test and learn with the early adopter schools and provide access to bespoke support packages to help address challenges such as transport issues. Early adopters will have access to a peer-to-peer network and a pool of expert advisors with varied expertise to support their breakfast club delivery.