Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of charging schools supported by the new National School Breakfast Programme for 25 per cent of the cost of food ordered in the third term of support.

The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs and we are further funding up to £24 million to continue our programme over the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas meaning that thousands of children in low-income families will be offered nutritious breakfasts.

The focus of the programme is to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including the Department for Education’s Opportunity Areas. Schools will be eligible for the programme if they have 50% or more pupils within bands A-F of the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index scale.

In terms of the schools’ financial contribution, this is an attractive offer to schools, providing free breakfasts for their pupils for 2 terms followed by a very substantial discount for the following 4 terms. Asking schools to contribute a small proportion of the costs means that the overall funding of up to £24 million can go further, reaching a higher number of schools, and therefore more disadvantaged children overall. Since inviting expressions of interest, we have seen strong interest from eligible schools so far and our programme will make a real difference in terms of children’s health, attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn. Our provider, Family Action, are ensuring that schools fully understand and are committed to their financial contribution when they join the programme.