Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for the estimate that the new primary school breakfast programme will save parents £450 a year.

The estimate that the government’s breakfast club programme will save parents £450 a year is based on the average fee charged for a breakfast club in England according to the childcare and early years survey of parents. Taking into account the amount parents currently pay for breakfast clubs, the department has calculated how much parents will save per year, on average, from the introduction of free, 30 minute clubs.