NSBP secondary school support grant 2026 to 2027: funding methodology
Published 20 May 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-school-breakfast-programme-secondary-school-support-grant/nsbp-secondary-school-support-grant-2026-to-2027-funding-methodology
In November 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that the national school breakfast programme (NSBP) would end in July 2026. All eligible schools on the NSBP have been offered a place on the free breakfast club programme to start in September 2026.
The free breakfast club programme is for primary-age pupils only. NSBP secondary schools are not eligible to join, and so will be provided with a grant for the 2026 to 2027 academic year to enable them to continue to provide breakfast food to their pupils at no cost to them or their parents.
This guide explains how this funding will be calculated for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
Eligibility for the grant
Schools with secondary‑age pupils who were actively participating in the NSBP as of 1 November 2025 are eligible for this funding. These schools have been contacted by email and are invited to confirm their acceptance of this funding by 12 June 2026 to ensure the necessary arrangements are in place.
Paying the grant
The funding will be paid to schools either directly from DfE for academies or through their local authority for maintained schools. Schools will receive their funding in 2 tranches:
- a payment will be made to schools in the autumn term of 2026 to cover costs for the autumn 2026 and spring 2027 terms
- funding for the summer 2027 term will be paid in arrears in the autumn term of 2027
Payment schedules and funding allocations will be shared in the autumn term.
Funding rates
Grant funding rates have been calculated using each school’s expenditure while participating in the NSBP for food and delivery, continuing at the subsidised rate of 75%.
To ensure funding best reflects the take-up of breakfast provision in participating schools, it has been calculated using whichever is higher of either:
- school spend on food and delivery at 75% during the 2024 to 2025 academic year
- school spend on food and delivery at 75% during the autumn term of the 2025 to 2026 academic year, prorated to the full academic year
To note:
- there is a minimum cost floor of £1,000 for schools with low-spend
- schools that joined the NSBP part-way through academic years 2024 to 2025 or 2025 to 2026 have been awarded the average spend for their school type (mainstream, special school or alternative provision)
Contact Us
Eligible schools with secondary-age pupils on the NSBP have been contacted by email. For any questions, email nsbp.secondaryschoolsupport@education.gov.uk.