What is the new free breakfast club scheme?
We have introduced free breakfast clubs - 30 minute sessions
before school where children get a free breakfast so they to
start every day ready to learn.
Around 180,000 pupils in the most disadvantaged communities will
be able to access free breakfast clubs. As children return from
the Easter holidays, the first 750 schools will take part in the
programme.
These schools are based across nine regions in England and will
be funded to provide this service – available to all children in
each setting.
This is the first phase of a national roll out which will see
free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England in due
course
Free breakfast clubs will help ensure pupils start every day
ready to learn, and in turn will improve behaviour, attendance
and attainment.
What will my child get for breakfast?
Schools will provide healthy, nutritious and varied breakfasts
that follow the School Food Standards.
What are the benefits of free breakfast
clubs?
Free breakfast clubs mean no child starts school hungry and
will help set children up for the day by providing a nutritious
breakfast as well as time with friends to enjoy activities such
as reading and crafts.
Breakfast clubs, such as those already run by the Magic Breakfast
programme have been shown to boost children's reading,
writing, and maths by an average of two months.
For parents, free breakfast clubs mean help with childcare at the
start of the school day – at no extra costs. It means those
parents can drop their children off half an hour earlier –
helping parents get into work, giving them up to 95 additional
hours back to juggle busy mornings, and saving working families
up to £450 a year.
We know many families are feeling the impact of the
cost-of-living crisis. Out of the around 180,000 children who
will benefit in the first 750 schools, around 80,000 attend
schools in deprived areas.
This is one of the measures we are taking to cut the cost of
living for families. We are also legislating to significantly
cut uniform costs
through a cap on branded items, alongside our government-funded
childcare rollout.
Which schools are part of the first phase of free
breakfast clubs?
Schools selected for the early adopter scheme will contact
families directly about how to sign up for the breakfast club.
The chosen schools represent different types, sizes and
geographical areas across England.
What if my school isn't part of the scheme
yet?
This is the first phase of a planned national rollout. The
government is using this early adopter phase to learn from
different types of schools before expanding the programme.
Schools are currently testing various approaches to ensure the
programme works effectively for all communities.
If you have specific questions about how the new breakfast club
scheme will work in your child's school, we recommend speaking
directly with the school once they confirm their
participation.
How much funding will schools get?
Schools will receive a lump sum for set up, and then a further
recurring lump sum of over £1000 to help with costs.
To put this in perspective, an average school with 50% take up on
the early adopter scheme would receive around £23k for a full
year.
That money will cover the cost of food, delivery and staffing
costs. This is much more than the existing school breakfast
programme - on average, a school switching to the early adopter
scheme would receive an additional £21,400 of funding.
