The case for before- and after-school clubs

‘There’s a bunch of clubs – drama, dance, chess, video games club… it’s all for free. They want the best for us.’ (Year 7 pupil)

From breakfast clubs to sports activities, before- and after-school provision benefits children and their families hugely. These clubs and activities help children engage with learning and feel fulfilled at school, and they help parents financially by allowing them to work or take up more hours. Unfortunately, many families don’t get to benefit from these clubs, either because they’re too expensive or because they’re not available.

Extra-curricular activities give pupils the chance to explore sports, music, arts and drama. These opportunities are particularly valuable for children growing up in poverty, who are less likely to be able to access them elsewhere. As well as being a source of fun and a time to socialise, before- and after-school clubs help children concentrate and improve their attainment. Magic Breakfast schools have found that pupils are more alert and ready to learn after they have breakfast. This helps children reach their potential.

“What I like about breakfast clubs is that when I colour it kind of relaxed me and we do it first thing in the morning and when I start colouring it relaxes me!” (Year 5 pupil)

Parents greatly appreciate clubs that are fully funded and free to access. They mean parents can work or take up more hours without worrying about expensive childcare. Very often, though, stretched school budgets mean that there is patchy before- and after- school provision – and when clubs are available, they can be prohibitively costly.

In new analysis CPAG carried out with Magic Breakfast, we looked at an example family. Jill is a single mum on a low income who has two children. If the clubs at her children’s school were free, Jill could increase her hours of work and keep all £2,100 of her increased annual income for her family. However, if she had to pay for the clubs, she would end up losing more than half of her additional income to cover these costs.

These clubs can provide low-income families with more choices for their children and for their work. But parents are often unable to justify the cost against working more. They are also limited in the choice of work, with low-paid jobs more likely to fit around their childcare requirements. For these families, it simply does not pay to work more, and they remain trapped in poverty.

In the current cost of living crisis, many families, not just those on the lowest incomes, are struggling with rising costs. Some parents have been forced to cut back on other essentials to pay for their children’s clubs.

‘Like with anything the cost of living has risen and I will need to find the money for my children by making cuts elsewhere.’ (Parent)

Fully-funded and universally-available school clubs are hugely valuable at any time, thanks to their impact on children’s learning, health and happiness. But this is particularly the case in the current economic climate, when childcare costs add to the burden of parents struggling to make ends meet. If we adequately fund schools to offer this provision, it would allow children to thrive and give parents greater opportunities to work, and it would help reduce child poverty.

Read our briefing with Magic Breakfast: Children’s futures and the economic case for before- and after-school provision.