Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of breakfast club provision focused on disadvantaged children to help those children settle back into school following the summer break.

The government is committed to continuing support for breakfast clubs, and we are funding up to a further £24 million to continue our programme over the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas meaning that thousands of children in low income families will be offered nutritious breakfasts.

The focus of the programme is to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including the Department for Education’s Opportunity Areas. Schools will be eligible for the programme if they have 50% or more pupils within bands A-F of the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index scale. When schools join the programme, they will sign a partnership agreement that requires them to identify and target those children that are most in need of support.

The department has seen strong interest from eligible schools so far since we invited expressions of interest, and our programme will make a real difference in terms of children’s health, attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn. Our provider, Family Action, are currently recruiting schools on the programme through their enrolment process. The department is keen to encourage all schools to consider the benefits of breakfast provision, especially for those children who are most in need.