The funding will allow these schools to run free breakfast clubs for their pupils in the summer term (April-July 2025). The Department for Education will work with the schools to understand how breakfast clubs can be delivered to meet the needs of schools, parents and pupils when the programme is rolled out nationally.
Reeves commented: “Our promise, led by our Education Secretary Bridget Philipson is to introduce free breakfast clubs in every primary school across England. I can announce that that will start in hundreds of schools for primary school aged pupils from this April ahead of the national rollout.
"An investment in our young people. An investment in reducing child poverty. An investment in our economy. And an investment so that in years to come we can proudly say that we left behind a Britain where the next generation has a chance to do better than those who came before it. Conference that is the Britain that we're building. That is the Britain that I believe in.”
Thie breakfast club pilot scheme aims to help reduce the number of pupils starting the school day hungry and ensures children come to school ready to learn. It will also support the Government’s aim to tackle child poverty by addressing rising food insecurity among children.
Jacquie Bance de Vasquez, director of policy and engagement at Magic Breakfast, said: “We welcome the announcement of a pilot to test and understand how the Government’s commitment to school breakfast provision can best be rolled out.
“It will be key that there are a variety of schools, with different geographic and socio-economic challenges, adequate support to maximise the impact of provision for pupils, and a robust impact monitoring framework to guide and enable learning. This is a vital opportunity for the Department for Education to understand how they ensure that no child is too hungry to learn, and that all the benefits of breakfast are realised."