Children at a York primary school have been given an extra special Christmas present - the guarantee of a free breakfast to start off each school day for a whole YEAR.
The free breakfasts for children at Burton Green Primary, which will start in January, come thanks to TWO big donations to the city-wide York Hungry Minds appeal.
York-based housebuilder Persimmon has donated £20,000 to the appeal.
A second large donation has come from the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust.
Between them, the donations have pushed the total raised so far by the appeal to more than £40,000.
City of York Council had already set aside £100,000 to pay for a pilot at Westfield Primary in which all Key Stage 2 children (in Years 3-6) will get a free school lunch.
The two big donations to York Hungry Minds mean that a second, parallel pilot will also now be run at Burton Green, where all the school's children will get a free breakfast.
Cllr Bob Webb, City of York Council's executive member for children, young people and education, said the free breakfasts at Burton Green and free lunches at Westfield would initially run for a year.
The council would be getting academic support to help evaluate the impact of the meals on children’s attendance at school – and their alertness and concentration in class, he said.
But Jo Piercy, the cook at Burton Green Primary who will oversee preparing the breakfasts, said she had little doubt about the impact they would have.
“It will make an enormous difference for these children," she said.
Karen Forester of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust academy chain, to which the school belongs, added: "There are real benefits in starting the day with a healthy breakfast in terms of attendance and maintaining concentration and energy levels.
"We would like to thank the Persimmon Foundation and the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust for the significant donations to the York Community Fund’s Hungry Minds appeal to allow this project to go ahead."
The pilots follow a manifesto pledge by York council's ruling Labour group to investigate ways of providing free school meals in primary schools in York.
Labour says there is clear evidence that free school meals improve children's ability to learn and also reduce health inequalities.
The Archbishop of York publicly backed the York Hungry Minds appeal - which is being managed for the city council by the Two Ridings Foundation - at the weekend.
He said: "I think we all know that if you are hungry, you cannot concentrate on much else. And the tragedy is that there are children in schools today who are hungry, and they're falling behind at school because of that.
"Well, the Hungry Minds appeal here in York is trying to address that.”
Tracy Davison of the Persimmon Charitable Foundation said Persimmon was ‘delighted’ to be able to support York Hungry Minds.
“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,” she said.
“Research suggests that when a child regularly consumes a nutritious breakfast this has a positive effect on their performance in school. I am looking forward to seeing the initiative in full flow."
A representative of the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust added: “We are delighted to support such a worthwhile initiative that can make a real difference in the education of our young children in the city.”
Details of precisely when the free breakfasts and lunches at the two schools will begin have yet to be confirmed.
But it is expected to be in January, soon after the new school term begins.
Council leader Claire Douglas said she was delighted that York Hungry Minds had received two such big donations.
"Tackling disadvantage and supporting all our residents during the cost-of-living crisis was a manifesto commitment," she said.
"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."
Fundraising through the York Hungry Minds appeal continues, however - the hope is to extend the pilot at the two primary schools and if possible extend the free meals to other primary schools in the city in future.
To donate to the appeal visit www.tworidingscf.org.uk/appeal/york-hungry-minds
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