MORE than 300 primary school pupils who may have otherwise started the school day hungry next week are set to receive free breakfasts thanks to a new campaign.

The Before the Bell campaign, launched by education provider Affinity Workforce, aims to tackle child hunger in classrooms.

Laithes Primary School, based in Athersley North, is one of four schools across the country to receive a week of free breakfast provision as part of the scheme.

From Monday, all 314 pupils at the school will receive fruit, a croissant and a drink each morning before lessons begin.

The school, which serves one of the most deprived communities in the country, applied for the support after research from Affinity Workforce revealed that almost one in three teachers see hungry children at the start of the school day every single day.

Pupil Premium is extra government funding for English state schools to help disadvantaged students catch up and reach their potential, closing the attainment gap with peers.

It’s for pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in the last six years, those who have been in care (LAC), and children from service families, providing resources for support like extra staff, tutoring, or broader curriculum activities.

Schools decide how to spend it, focusing on evidence-based strategies to boost outcomes for these specific groups.

More than half of the pupils at the school - which sits in a catchment area among the most deprived 20 per cent nationally - are eligible for Pupil Premium.

Headteacher Georgina Fletcher said the scheme will benefit both pupils and teachers.

She added: “We’re delighted our pupils are receiving a free breakfast for the week.

“We know that some children arrive at school without having eaten breakfast, which affects their concentration, mood and ability to learn.

“Despite the care and support our families provide, the rising cost of living continues to make mornings difficult for many.

“A partnership with Before the Bell has helped us remove barriers to learning by ensuring every child starts the day with a healthy meal.

“It promotes equality, improves readiness to learn, and complements our wider work on wellbeing, attendance and inclusion.”

Affinity Workforce’s research, conducted among supply teachers working across England, found that 59 per cent say hunger significantly affects pupils’ ability to learn in morning lessons, while 70 per cent say it affects classroom behaviour.

More than a third of schools have no breakfast provision at all, with cost identified as the biggest barrier preventing children from accessing breakfast.

Following the launch of Before the Bell, the government announced that it will extend free school meals to all children in households on Universal Credit from September 2026, benefiting over 500,000 children, and fund breakfast clubs in schools across England.

Laithes Primary is one of four schools receiving free breakfast provision in January.

The other schools are in Birmingham, the Wirral and London.

CEO Esme Bianchi-Barry added: “Laithes Primary serves a community facing real hardship, where more than half of pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium and many families are struggling with the cost of living.

“Teachers at the school told us that children are arriving without breakfast, which affects their concentration, mood and ability to learn.

“Before the Bell is about removing barriers to learning. Every child deserves to start the day with a healthy meal.

“Next week, we are making sure that happens for over 300 pupils in Barnsley.

“But one week is not enough.

“The government’s recent commitment to expanding free school meals and breakfast clubs shows they recognise the scale of this crisis.

“We need sustained intervention across the country.”