In April 2025, 750 schools across England will participate in the government’s free breakfast club pilot scheme. Ahead of the national rollout, Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson MP has asked peers to talk to local stakeholders and hear their views on the scheme.
On Friday, March 28, I hosted a roundtable of school leaders, parents, and providers. My aim was to understand the impact of breakfast clubs on local families and how the government can best support our young children.
The government’s Opportunity Mission Delivery Champion, Sarah Smith MP, also joined the meeting and explained how free breakfast clubs will benefit thousands of children at Wycombe’s 29 primary schools as part of Labour’s mission to break the unfair link between background and success.
I learnt just how valuable breakfast clubs can be for families in Wycombe, boosting attendance and attainment, as well as enabling parents to balance work and family life.
Ahead of the national rollout, it was useful to learn about good practice in Wycombe’s existing breakfast clubs whilst also considering potential logistical and financial challenges.
There are so many benefits to breakfast clubs, which is why it is a shame these clubs were only available in one in ten schools in England under the Conservatives. Labour will make them available to every child.
I have written to the Secretary of State to share key insights from this meeting.’
Cara Nightingale, Food Programmes Manager at the One Can Trust foodbank, said:
It was a great opportunity for parents, organisations, teachers and providers to come together to discuss this new policy by sharing ideas, offloading challenges and providing suggestions as to how to best feed and provide childcare for all primary school children.”