The free breakfast club programme (FBC) is a government-funded scheme that helps schools provide a free breakfast club for primary school-aged children.
Breakfast clubs run during the 30 minutes before the start of the school day. Children can receive a free breakfast, which may include cereal, toast and fruit.
The programme aims to:
Schools taking part may benefit from:
Read the free breakfast clubs school case studies on GOV.UK.
The free breakfast clubs programme will become a requirement under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act.
The national rollout is taking place in phases between 2026 and 2028. Schools will be contacted directly by the Department for Education when they are eligible to join the programme.
Schools that have already been invited can accept or decline their offer through the free breakfast clubs programme portal.
The Department for Education provides guidance, resources and a funding calculator for participating schools.
Schools can run their own breakfast club or work with an existing childcare provider.
Where a private, voluntary or independent (PVI) provider already delivers breakfast provision on the school site, schools should consider how the Free Breakfast Club can form part of the existing childcare offer.
Read the toolkit for working with childcare providers.
Schools joining the programme receive a £1,000 start-up grant to buy equipment and resources.
Mainstream schools receive:
Use the Department for Education's Ready Reckoner to estimate funding.
Funding rates for mainstream, special and alternative provision schools are set and distributed by the Department for Education, not Dorset Council.
For programme enquiries, contact the Department for Education through the free breakfast clubs contact portal.
For local advice and operational support, email [email protected].
