Applications open today for the next wave of 500 schools with 40% of pupils on free school meals to benefit from the programme, as the Government invests £80 million in the right places to give every child the best start in life - recognising that a healthy, well-educated population is essential for a thriving economy.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I grew up in a family where every bill mattered, and I know what it feels like for parents trying to make ends meet. That’s why helping families with the cost of living is my number one priority. Free breakfast clubs are already a lifeline for parents, and now we’re going further to deliver on that promise – beginning the national rollout. Not only that, but we’re prioritising those communities feeling the sharpest squeeze, tackling both the cost of living and child poverty head-on. This isn’t just about saving parents money and time; it’s about investing in the next generation to give them the best start in life.”
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said: “This is national renewal in action - breaking down barriers so every child gets the best start in life, regardless of their background. By rolling out free breakfast clubs to half a million more children, we’re not just filling empty stomachs; we’re supercharging the nation’s morning routines. This is about building a country where background doesn’t mean destiny, where we invest in our children’s futures and where we deliver the real change working families desperately need.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “Our free breakfast clubs are ensuring over half a million more children don’t start the school day hungry, and save working parents around £450 a year. We’re launching this in the parts of the country that need it most — helping to bring bills down for families across Britain. But we know there’s more to do, which is why at my Budget, I’ll make the fair decisions to cut NHS waiting lists, cut national debt and cut the cost of living.”
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Usdaw members have long struggled to secure hours of work that fit around childcare and they continue to face significant challenges in finding affordable and accessible childcare. Retailers continue to demand ever-greater flexibility from their staff as they revise and reorganise working hours in response to changes in consumer spending and shopping habits.
“So, we welcome the continued rollout of free breakfast clubs in primary schools; it’s an important step towards wraparound childcare. This is the kind of change that Usdaw campaigned for, the country voted for and Labour is now delivering in Government. Labour has also delivered 30 funded hours of flexible childcare for all pre-school age children. We now have a Government that listens and Usdaw will continue to campaign for further help for working parents, who make a huge contribution to the country’s economy.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion