Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to provide free breakfasts for disadvantaged children during school holidays; and what contingency planning he is undertaking to provide that support in the event of school closures as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

During the COVID-19 outbreak while schools were largely shut, children from more than 1,800 schools taking part in the National School Breakfast Programme in disadvantaged areas were offered healthy breakfast support over the summer holidays, giving them nutritious meals to start their day.

Schools on the programme have flexibility in how they provide breakfast meals and can choose to support children in the way which works best for them. This may include parents collecting food parcels from open schools or breakfast food ‘drop offs’ to families where appropriate. This should be arranged alongside the school’s wider support for children on free school meals (FSM), and schools must follow the government’s advice on social distancing at all times.

In the event of local restrictions on education and childcare settings (including before-school clubs and after-school clubs) being required, the department will publish operational guidance for settings in the affected area to support them to implement contingency plans. We have also published guidance to help schools with secondary year groups plan for tier 2 local restrictions, outlining their responsibilities regarding FSM. This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions#free-school-meals.