Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has surveyed schools to find out how many pupils go to school without breakfast; and what steps she is taking to help tackle pupil hunger.

The Department does not collect data from schools indicating the number of pupils that go to school without breakfast.

The Department is committed to continuing support for school breakfasts. The Department is investing up to £30 million in our national school breakfast programme until the end of the summer term in 2024. This funding will support up to 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing, and readiness to learn.

The Government also supports the provision of nutritious food in schools, which ensures pupils are well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and can concentrate and learn. Under the benefits based criteria, 1.9 million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for and claiming a free school meal. This saves families around £400 per year.

The Department spends around £600 million per year ensuring an additional 1.25 million infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the Universal Infant Free School Meals policy in 2014.