Families will soon be able to access 30 minutes of quality childcare ahead of the start of the school day as the government pushes ahead with free breakfast clubs across the country.
From today, schools can apply to become one of 750 early adopters in the government’s free breakfast club roll out, with clubs to launch from April 2025.
Breakfast clubs in every primary school will make a huge difference to children, families, and schools – removing barriers to opportunity by helping children learn, making sure no child starts school hungry, and helping families with the cost of childcare around the school day, to help keep money in people’s pockets.
More than 2 in 5 non-working mothers say that they would prefer to work if they could arrange good quality, convenient, reliable and affordable childcare, and over half of parents say they have problems finding formal childcare for their child that is flexible enough to fit their needs.
The breakfast clubs form part of the government’s mission to break the unfair link between background and opportunity. Delivering change that can be felt by working people, early adopters will offer all children at their school access to a free breakfast and at least 30 minutes of free before school childcare, every day.
This action to kick-start the programme comes fast after the Budget, which tripled investment in breakfast clubs to over £33 million for 2025-26, supporting the early adopter scheme as well as the continuation of the National School Breakfast Club Programme next year, so no child faces a cliff edge on current provision.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said
“This is a landmark opportunity for schools to be in the vanguard of change, as we build back the foundations of an education system that breaks the link between children’s background, and the opportunities they have in life.
“From helping with flexible working for families, to improving behaviour and attendance, the supportive start to the day that breakfast clubs provide will help drive high and rising standards for every child. This government is delivering change that will make a real difference to families up and down the country.”
Sir David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive of Family Action said
“Family Action is delighted to see this further investment by the government in breakfast clubs. We know from our long experience of delivering breakfast provision ourselves the difference that a nutritious breakfast offered in a supportive and enriching environment can make to children’s readiness to learn.
“We will do all we can to share our experience with Early Adopter schools in this crucial test and learn phase so that they can maximise the impact of this significant new offer to children and families at the start of the school day and inform its rollout to many more schools in the future.”
Abigail Oldfield, Headteacher, Willow Bank Primary School, says
“Our breakfast club has made a massive difference to supporting children and families from the very start of the school day.
“We’ve seen a big impact on attendance and punctuality of children, as many of our most vulnerable families now have breakfast every day with us. By offering a healthy breakfast and childcare, it ensures children are in school on time and have energy to learn.”
Schools that become early adopters will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of the national breakfast club policy, contributing directly to its implementation.
Further details on the national roll out of the breakfast clubs programme will follow in due course.
The wider paid-for wraparound childcare offer – for all primary children to be able to access childcare between 8am-6pm – continues to roll out across the country.
The government is also developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty and give children the best start in life, which will be published in spring. The Taskforce led by the Work and Pensions Secretary and Education Secretary are looking at all available levers across government to drive forward short-term and long-term actions to reduce child poverty.
