The Persimmon Charitable Foundation has donated £20,000 to Burton Green Primary School in York.
York is perceived to be an affluent city, however, six wards within York fall into the UK’s 20% most deprived areas and Clifton, home to Burton Green Primary School, is one of those.
This funding will enable the school to provide free breakfast to its students every school day for a year. The program will commence in January of this year and will benefit all pupils at the school.
Evidence suggests that Universal Free School Meals both support children’s ability to learn and reduce health inequalities between disadvantaged children and their peers.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, said “Tackling disadvantage and supporting all our residents during the cost-of-living crisis was a manifesto commitment for the administration and has now been enshrined in the Council Plan, One City for all.
“That contains a commitment to becoming an anti-poverty city, including supporting young people and families, through reducing food insecurity and exploring the benefits of free school meals for all primary school children. I’m delighted that, thanks to some truly generous donations, we’re able to start to meet what is an absolute priority for the council and roll out the free school meals pilot to a second school in York.”
Cllr Bob Webb, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said “Seeing our partners come together in this way to provide support to the city’s commitments, and to the futures of our children is truly inspirational and I thank those who have been so quick to step up and make this initial work happen.
“We know that there are real benefits for our children of these measures, in terms of attendance, attention to learning and in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. And while there is more to do to make this happen in all of our schools, this is a significant step in the right direction, and I am thankful to everyone who is involved in making this work.”
Tracy Davison, Trustee of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation, said “We are delighted to be able to support York Hungry Minds with a £20,000 donation from the Persimmon Charitable Foundation.
“The free school meals project at Burton Green Primary School will undoubtedly have a positive impact on children in the local community and provide helpful support to families who need it.
“I am looking forward to seeing the initiative in full flow next year and I am confident it will be a success.
“Research suggests that when a child regularly consumes a nutritious breakfast this has a positive effect on their performance in school. As such, we hope our support of this project allows pupils at Burton Green Primary school to further their development in a positive manner.”
