Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that breakfast clubs in primary schools are accessible for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Breakfast clubs will mean that many more pupils get a supportive start to the day and are ready to learn. They will also benefit parents and mean that many pupils who would not otherwise have had breakfast will be well fed to start the day.

As confirmed at the Autumn Budget 2024, this government will triple the investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million in the 2025/26 financial year, enabling 750 early adopter schools to open breakfast clubs from April 2025. All state-funded schools, including special and alternative provision schools, will be eligible to apply. Details on the application process for schools will follow shortly.

The department recognises that there will be barriers, such as staffing and transport, to opening breakfast clubs for some schools, including special and alternative provision schools. The early adopter programme will allow us to test and learn how best to overcome such barriers and refine the department’s support and advice to schools to ensure the programme works for these schools.