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Can you provide a nutritious school breakfast for 60p per-pupil?

School food Government policy School finance
There are fears this week that the pilot of the national breakfast club programme could be undermined by inadequate funding.
Money worries: Funding for the national breakfast club pilot includes an initial payment of £500 for set-up costs and a lump sum of £1,099 for the summer term, but only 60p per-day, per-pupil for the actual food - Adobe Stock

The 750 primary schools taking part in the pilot scheme have been unveiled – but with funding of just 60p per-day, per-pupil for the meals, school leaders are concerned.

The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that funding for April to July 2025 will include an initial payment of £500 for set-up costs and a lump sum of £1,099 for the summer term.

The grant guidance (see DfE, 2025a) states: “The initial set-up and lump-sum amount is paid to all schools. The lump-sum covers the fixed administration and start-up staffing costs of the scheme, the basic per-pupil amount covers the provision of the food and basic staffing costs.”

However, this per-pupil funding rate – which will be paid in arrears between October and December based on the number of children who attend (DfE, 2025b) – has been set at 60p per-day, per-pupil, with a rate of 78p for free school meals pupils.

One primary school already delivering breakfast to pupils told Headteacher Update this week that the cost to them was at least 80p per-pupil.

Both the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) have been quick to raise their concerns that 60p is simply not enough.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “The government’s decision to test the scheme through its early adopters pilot is welcome, and it’s vital ministers listen to and act upon feedback. We have already heard from some school leaders who are worried that funding for the scheme will fall short of the cost of delivering it.

“It will be crucial that these concerns are addressed before the programme is rolled out across the country to ensure that it does not place further pressure on already strained school budgets, and that children and families can fully reap the benefits."

His counterpart at ASCL, Pepe Di’Iasio, added: “Free breakfast clubs have great potential to play an important role in making sure every child starts the day with a nutritious meal and is ready to learn. However, we’re really worried that the funding is far too low – with a basic daily rate of just 60p per-pupil. We strongly urge the government to be more realistic about the costs involved before it attempts to roll out this policy nationally.”

A DfE blog (DfE, 2025c) stated: “This is much more than the existing school breakfast programme. On average, a school on the early adopter scheme would receive an additional £21,400 of funding.”

Currently, around 77% of primary schools offer breakfast clubs, but only 13% provide free breakfast for all pupils (McShane, 2024).

The pilot scheme will see early adopters deliver free and universal breakfast clubs from the first day of summer term in April.

The pilot requires schools to run the breakfast club “on the school site or in the vicinity” with a “seamless transfer into the school day”. It must be universal (offered to every pupil who wants it), free, and for at least 30 minutes immediately before the start of the compulsory school day. The breakfast provided must adhere to the School Food Standards for England (see DfE, 2025b).

Speaking earlier this month, Lindsey MacDonald, CEO of the charity Magic Breakfast, which runs breakfast clubs for tens of thousands of pupils across the country, said that if they are to make the funding stretch schools must have more flexibility to offer breakfast in different ways, including “grab and go” options and even food in the classroom or at break. As Headteacher Update reported in January, a number of schools have found these flexible delivery models to be cost-effective and successful.

Around 180,000 pupils will benefit from the pilot programme, with around 67,000 of these children attending schools in deprived areas.

This early adopter phase will inform the national roll-out which will give all parents access to the scheme – although no timetable has been published for this as yet. The DfE said this week: “Further details on the national roll-out will follow in due course.”

The DfE said it was encouraging schools to offer “healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts, with examples from wheat bisks and porridge to fresh fruit and yoghurt”.

It also wants to see early adopter schools providing activities “including arts and crafts, educational puzzles, reading and more”.

The DfE added: “Schools were chosen from across England to ensure the scheme tests and learns from a variety of locations, including those that do not currently run a breakfast club.”

An impact evaluation of the Magic Breakfast programme has previously found that offering pupils in primary schools a free, universal, before-school breakfast club can boost reading, writing, and maths attainment by an average of two months’ additional progress in key stage 1 (EEF, 2017).