Pilot to save families up to £450 a year and give children the best start to the day
27th February 2025
The Government is rolling out free breakfast clubs to the first 750 schools from after the Easter break, including four primaries in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, saving working families up to £450 a year and helping pupils begin each day ready to learn.
Under the pilot, any child at St Bernadette’s, Skelton, Lockwood or Pennyman primaries will be able to enjoy a free morning meal and 30 minutes of supervised activities before the bell. The scheme will run through July, providing an extra 95 hours of free childcare and contributing to closing the disadvantage gap.
Luke Myer MP said:
“I’m proud that we ended the tax breaks enjoyed by private schools and used the money to fund breakfast clubs for the 93 per cent of children who go to state school. Every child deserves a good start, not just the most well-off. We have four pilot schools in our constituency and next year will scale this up to every state primary in our area.”
“This will give parents nearly 100 extra hours of free childcare a year, save families money, and ensure children arrive at class healthy, happy and ready to learn.”
Louise Stogdale, Headteacher at Pennyman Academy later added: “We’re seeing a huge benefit to the children who previously didn’t have access to a nutritional breakfast. The atmosphere in school is calmer, children are more settled, and they’re starting the day with a better frame of mind.”
References:
House of Commons (24 February 2025):
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-02-24/debates/0B24552D-2905-48EC-90F3-E1D850038227/BreakfastClubsEarlyAdopters
House of Lords (27 February 2025):
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-02-27/debates/4EFCE442-BC08-4CD6-B90E-2F362CDA6558/BreakfastClubsEarlyAdopters
Breakfast clubs early adopters: schools in the scheme:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breakfast-clubs-early-adopters-schools-in-the-scheme
Free breakfast club roll out: everything you need to know:
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/04/free-breakfast-club-roll-out-everything-you-need-to-know/