Breakfast Clubs and Free School Meals: Academic Year

(asked on 27th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools are required to provide breakfasts and free school meals to pupils who receive such support throughout the rest of the school year on days when end-of-year tests and examinations take place.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 5th July 2019

If the end of year tests or examinations fall within the school day as defined in the Education Act (1996), then free school meals should be made available to the pupil on those days. Section 579 of the Education Act (1996) defines a school day as ‘any day on which at that school there is a school session’.

Schools are not required to provide breakfasts. However, the department is investing up to £26 million to set up or improve 1,700 sustainable breakfast clubs in schools in the most disadvantaged areas across the country.

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