What is the free breakfast club scheme?
We have introduced free breakfast clubs across the country - 30-minute sessions before school where children get a free breakfast and start every day ready to learn.
As of this September, there are over 1,400 new clubs. This means there are free breakfast clubs now operating in over 2,700 schools and available to more than 680,000 children.
These schools are based across nine regions in England and are being funded to provide this service – available to every child from reception all the way up to Year 6.
This is part of our national roll out across the country which will see free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England in due course.
Free breakfast clubs will help make sure 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.
The Department recently updated our school food standards for the first time in over ten years - putting more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains on children's plates.
The new standards also include a dedicated breakfast section to make sure every child gets a tasty, healthy meal to kickstart their day.
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 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 around £650 a year.
We know many families are feeling the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and that is why we have prioritised schools with the highest proportion of pupils on free school meals to ensure that the real-life impact of free breakfast clubs goes first to where it is most needed.
Which schools are currently offering a free breakfast club?
As well as prioritising disadvantaged schools, the chosen schools represent different types, sizes and geographical areas across England.
Schools joining the programme will contact families directly about how to sign up for the free breakfast club.
What if my school isn't part of the scheme yet?
We’ve always been committed to rolling out free breakfast clubs to every primary school in England because we know how powerful the benefits are!
Over 10 million breakfasts have been served across the country so far, and we want to build on that momentum. That is why we have onboarded an additional 2000 schools since April 2026 and will onboard even more schools in 2027 and 2028.
How do I apply for my child to get a place in the new free breakfast club?
If your school has a free breakfast club, then your child will be eligible and able to go - every child will!
Schools that have joined the programme will contact families directly about how to sign up for the free breakfast club.
If you have specific questions about how the new free breakfast club programme will work in your child's school, including on applying and any deadlines for doing so, we recommend speaking directly with the school.
How much funding will schools get?
All schools new to the programme will receive a £1,000 start-up grant to purchase the equipment and materials they need to run their club.
Each mainstream school will then receive £25 a day to cover fixed costs like staffing, along with £1 per pupil per day that attends the free breakfast club.
An average sized mainstream school with 50% take-up is expected to receive a total of £29,500 annually.
For more information about help with childcare and wraparound care, visit Best Start in Life Free breakfast clubs and wraparound childcare - Best Start in Life