A NORTH-EAST school has provided free breakfasts for more than 120 children since the start of August.

Skerne Park Academy, in Darlington, has been distributing nutritious free breakfast bundles to help support families through the summer holidays.

Head teacher Kate Chisholm said: “It’s been absolutely wonderful to have the support of the National School Breakfast Programme.”

The government-funded programme, which is delivered by the charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast, means that every student at Skerne Park Academy can collect a box of cereal and bags of bagels.

The school’s last class of Year 6 students, who have just left at the end of the 19/20 school year, are also welcome to come back for the free breakfast bundle.

Jake Smith, who starts Year 5 at the school in September, was one of the first to arrive to collect his cereal and bagels. His mum, Claire Mann, said: “It’s just great, the school has really helped a lot of families.

“They’ve gone above and throughout the whole coronavirus situation. I can’t fault them – it really is a fantastic school.”

Mrs Chisholm and deputy head Sarah Hardy have opened the school twice in August to provide hundreds of breakfasts to more than 80 families.

Although just these two giveaways were originally planned, Mrs Chisholm has pledged to keep the events going while stock lasts.

She said: “We’ve had our last delivery from the National School Breakfast Programme, but we still have hundreds of bagels and boxes of cereal, so we will keep it going for as long as we can.”

The date of the next giveaway will be announced on the school’s Facebook page.

The scheme will also continue via The Bagel Programme, which ensures that when the school reopens in September every student will receive a hot, buttered bagel every morning – free of charge – with funding secure until March 2021.

Mrs Chisholm added: “I think that being able to feed every child every morning is going to be fantastic not only for their education, but also for the children’s wellbeing. No child should have to be hungry at school.”