YOUNGSTERS in a Vale village could soon be tucking into cornflakes or bacon and eggs at school before classes.

Honeybourne First School is planning to serve up some tasty dishes as well as a good helping of fun to make sure its pupils get their day off to a really good start.

Children at the school were being dropped off so early - and sometimes without eating their breakfast - by parents anxious to get to work that head teacher Mrs Gill Jones decided to apply for funds to start a school breakfast club.

The school is to receive about £4,000 to establish the scheme, which is due to start in the New Year.

The money is part of a £300,000 lottery pay-out to Worcestershire County Council Early Years and Childcare Partnership to set up an extra 549 before-school and after-school care places for children in the county. The Honeybourne project will provide 16 places.

"We know some of the parents have problems first thing in the morning and children were being dropped off earlier and earlier, and sometimes without having breakfast. We already have an after-school club and this is an extension of that."

The money will be used to buy catering equipment, train and employ staff, and equipment for activities to keep the children occupied before they start school.

Mrs Jones stressed the activities would not be schoolwork.

"Other people have told us that you get a calm start and end to the day. I think it will make a significant difference to some of the parents and their children."

Linked

The initiative is linked to the Government's drive to enable women to return to work by providing affordable child care places for children aged three and upwards.

According to Jane Cunningham, development team co-ordinator for Worcestershire County Council Early Years and Childcare Partnership: "There were not that many out-of-school places before the scheme started. There are now 4,325 across the county. It has been a very important scheme. The majority of providers would not have started up without it."