Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual cost (1) in total, and (2) per pupil, of breakfast clubs in (a) primary, and (b) secondary, schools.

The government spends over £550 million a year on in England, through the National Funding Formula, to ensure that 1.4 million disadvantaged children benefit from free school meals. A further 1.4 million infant pupils are also supported through universal infant free school meals.

The National School Breakfast Programme, running from March 2018 to March 2021, is supporting up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, at an overall cost to the government of approximately £35 million. Unit costs are commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be made available. Many schools operate their own breakfast club arrangements.

There is legislation in place that ensures schools provide meals to all pupils who want them, which should be provided free to those eligible for benefits-related free school meals or universal infant free school meals.

The Schools Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

The standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, which foods are restricted, and those, which must not be provided. They apply to all food and drink provided to pupils on and off school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including school trips, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs. The department’s advice is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england.

A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the school food plan website at:
http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources.

I believe that the School Food Standards have been transformational in the way schools operate their meal services. We will be updating these standards to bring them into line with revised nutritional recommendations in due course, this work is currently paused due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.