Grant News

Schools in England are being invited to join the first phase of a new national rollout of free breakfast clubs, due to begin in April 2026. The Department for Education programme, backed by £80 million, will support around 2,000 additional schools to set up and run free, nutritious breakfast provision before the start of the school day.​

Eligible settings include state‑funded mainstream primary schools, special schools, alternative provision and academy trusts in England. Priority will be given to schools where 40% or more pupils are eligible for free school meals, or the most disadvantaged school in an area, and to achieving a good geographical spread, taking account of any existing participation in the National School Breakfast Programme.​

Funding will be paid directly to schools and varies by setting. Mainstream schools can receive £1.00 per pupil per day attending plus a fixed £25.00 daily payment, while special schools and alternative provision can receive £3.23 per pupil per day plus £18.95 per day, with all schools also receiving a one‑off £1,000 start‑up grant for equipment, training and other costs; rates are adjusted by area cost factors.

Phase 1 is titled “Apply to join phase 1 of the national rollout of free breakfast clubs” and further application details, including the window and closing date for 2026–27, will be published by the Department for Education in due course.​

Applications will close at 11.59 pm on 5 December 2025.  Schools will find out if their application has been successful by mid-January 2026.