WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols has welcomed more free breakfast clubs to tackle the cost of living head-on, as a national rollout targets support to those most in need.
Parents across the country are set to save up to £450 per year as free breakfast club rollout targets areas where families are struggling most with the cost of living – delivering on the Government’s manifesto promise
Now Ms Nichols is encouraging local schools in Warrington North to apply, as applications open for the first 500 schools to start in April 2026, with 1,500 more to follow in September – part of a wider investment in public services to boost opportunities and economic growth.
As a result, half a million more children will benefit from Best Start free breakfast clubs from April, delivering real relief to families struggling with the rising cost of living whilst investing in the foundations of future economic growth.
The move offers immediate help to working parents juggling childcare costs by saving them up to £450 and giving back up to 95 hours of time – over two and a half working weeks each year. That’s money back in pockets and time back in busy lives, helping families with the cost of living whilst ensuring children are ready to learn and succeed.
The government has increased the per child funding rate for mainstream schools to £1, making good on its commitment to roll out clubs with a variety of healthy meals. Schools will also receive a guaranteed £25 a day to cover staffing and admin so every type of school can easily deliver a breakfast club. For an average school with 50% take up, the total funding package has increased by 28%.
The announcement builds on the government’s decisions to prioritise investment to help families with the cost of living such as expanding free school meals to every family on Universal Credit, which will lift 100,000 children out of poverty, capping branded school uniform items, and introducing 30 hours funded childcare to working parents, saving them up to £7,500 per year.
In its election manifesto, Labour pledged to boost children’s life chances and give them the best start in life. By rolling out free breakfast clubs, Labour is delivering on that promise.
Ms. Nichols said: “I’m encouraging as many schools in Warrington North as possible to apply to start up their free breakfast club. The difference these breakfast clubs make to kids’ start to the day is already so clear and I want to make sure everyone feels the benefit of this vital support.
“I’ve had so many parents tell me directly how much this helps their family, allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned cash, and how much easier their morning routine has become.
“We’re cracking on and delivering what we promised locally and nationally – and this is real help with the cost of living for families in Warrington North”
Labour’s 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.”
By prioritising schools with the highest proportion of pupils on free school meals the rollout ensures the real-life impact of free breakfast clubs goes first to where it is most needed, helping to invest in the country’s economic future.
Evidence gathered through the test and learn phase shows more than one in three parents (38%) find it difficult to give their child a healthy breakfast before school, with fussy eating (36%) and time (28%) being the main barriers.
As a crucial part of the Plan for Change, a further 1,500 primary schools will start offering the free clubs in September 2026, with applications due to open in January, altogether helping to extend benefits to over 200,000 more underprivileged children in a little over a year of the programme launching.
Changing morning routines will not only help ensure no child starts the day hungry but boost attendance, attainment and future life chances. With 5 million free breakfasts already served, the clubs are already helping ensure a child’s background will never be a barrier to opportunity.
Among children aged 5-7, breakfast clubs have been proven to boost average attainment by the equivalent of 2 months’ progress in maths, reading and writing. Better educational outcomes mean better job prospects, higher earnings and a stronger economy – demonstrating how investing in public services today drives economic growth tomorrow.
Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of Parentkind, the UK’s largest parent charity said:“In modern Britain it is utterly unacceptable that any child sits in a classroom with an empty stomach. Breakfast clubs are not a luxury; they are a lifeline.
“This programme will put food in hungry tummies, calm the chaos of the morning rush.
“If we are serious about children turning up, settling down, and reaching their potential, we must get the basics right.
“Making sure every child begins the day safe, welcome, and well fed is a powerful statement of intent about the kind of country we want to be.”
