“If you ask students and parents, Sue is their school mum”- Manager at Swinton school awarded for providing students with free breakfast

A facility manager at Co-op Academy Swinton has been awarded Support Staff of the Year award at an annual recognition evening.

Facility manager, Sue Sparrow, won the award after ensuring that every child at the school gets a free breakfast through a breakfast club.

The breakfast club isn’t part of her normal duties, this is something she does to ensure that children get something warm to eat and drink before school starts.

Mrs Sparrow also said that since the cost of living crisis, the free breakfasts have been a help to those struggling. She went on to say that its great for the children as they also get the chance to socialise.

When asked about how it felt to be recognised for the work she does, she said it was: “heart-warming”.

Co-op Academy Swinton’s principal Zarina Ali nominated Mrs Sparrow for the award. She said: “Sue is a selfless individual who runs our Breakfast Club for all students each day without fail.

“Sue arrives in the morning very early and has our breakfast club set up and ready to run for 7:20am. During lockdown, Sue created breakfast packages and delivered these daily to the community to ensure students started the day with a healthy meal.

Mrs Sparrow has been working at the school for 17 years, the past five of which she has been involved with the breakfast club, which she started after securing funding.

Due to the success of the club, she has been granted funding each year following, and she serves 300 students a day from different age groups.

Principal Zarina Ali continued: “Sue delivers our Breakfast Club without pay and spends much of her weekend sourcing ingredients and contacting suppliers for donations.

“Sue is much more than a buildings and facilities manager. If you ask students and parents, Sue is their school mum.”