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• Sun Apr 20 2025

Free breakfast clubs to open at 750 schools

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Free breakfast clubs are to launch at 750 schools across England next week but teachers have voiced concerns that government funding for the scheme will not meet the cost. From Tuesday, thousands of parents can access half an hour of free morning childcare as part of the trial that will run to July, ahead of an expected national rollout. But teaching unions have raised concerns the funding is too low. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the move would help with "breaking down barriers to opportunity".

Labour campaigned on a promise of free breakfast clubs in every English primary school and later tripled funding to ?30m. The scheme will give parents of primary-aged children up to 95 additional hours and save them ?450 per year in childcare costs, ministers say. Find out which schools are on the list The headteachers union welcomed the expansion of breakfast clubs, which some schools already run, but said schools have suggested the funding is not enough. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "While we welcome the intentions behind the programme, the initial feedback we are hearing from many school leaders participating in the pilot is that the funding just isn't sufficient. "At a time when school budgets are already stretched, most can ill-afford to subsidise this shortfall." He added it was "absolutely crucial" the funding is addressed before the scheme is rolled out nationally and it has received assurance from the government the funding would be looked at carefully during the trial. Teaching union NASUWT said the scheme would make a "significant contribution" to tackling child hunger but it needed to be closely monitored to ensure funding issues can be addressed without it impacting other provisions within schools.