National school breakfast club programme
Support for school breakfast club provision.
Applies to England
Overview
The national school breakfast programme (NSBP) will continue until the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year. Further applications to join the programme will not be accepted, and the programme will end in July 2026.
For the academic year 2025 to 2026, all participating NSBP schools will continue to receive a 75% subsidy for the food and delivery costs of breakfast club provision, with schools contributing 25% of costs. All pupils in participating schools must be offered breakfast supplies at no cost to them or their parents.
Participating schools with primary-age pupils have been offered a place on the free breakfast club programme to start in September 2026. Schools participating in the NSBP with secondary-age pupils will also continue to be provided with support to an equivalent value of what they receive on the NSBP.
School eligibility
Participating schools are in disadvantaged areas with 40% or more pupils in bands A-F of the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI). This includes state-funded primary, secondary, special schools and alternative provision.
Types of food
All breakfast products offered through the programme meet the school food standards. Schools choose and order the food products and quantities they need for their pupils.
The supplier for this contract, Family Action, sources and delivers breakfast food products to participating schools.
Family Action contact details
Further information for participating schools is available on the Family Action website.
If you are already an NSBP participating school and need help, email info@schoolbreakfast.org.uk or call 020 3928 7228.
Continued support for schools post-programme closure
NSBP-participating schools with primary-age pupils
All NSBP schools with primary-age pupils have been offered a place on the free breakfast club programme starting in September 2026. They can contact us for any further information or support.
Detailed information about payment allocations, methodology, grant conditions and reporting requirements is available.
NSBP-participating schools with secondary-age pupils
NSBP schools with secondary-age pupils will receive continued financial support from the department so that they can continue to offer breakfast food to their pupils for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
This support will be via a direct section 14 grant to schools. As with the NSBP, the department will fund 75% of food and delivery costs, calculated from previous spend on the programme. Funding will be paid in 2 instalments. The first in the autumn term 2026, and the second in arrears in autumn term 2027. Schools should use their funding to cover:
- 75% of the cost of breakfast food and delivery for all pupils, at no cost to them or their parents
- breakfast provision must comply with the school food standards
Detailed information on the funding methodology is available. Grant conditions and funding allocations will be published in the autumn 2026.
Providing a healthy breakfast offer
Food served at breakfast will need to be compliant with the school food standards practical guide.
These food-based standards specify which types of food should be served at school and how often.
The standards define the foods and drinks that:
- must be provided
- are restricted
- must not be provided
They apply to food and drink provided to pupils on school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including breakfast clubs.
School food standards: resources for schools has a checklist for school food other than at lunch. This sets out what should and should not be served across the school day, including at breakfast.
The government is consulting on proposed updates to the School Food Standards in England to ensure that all food served at school, including breakfasts and lunches, better reflect current nutritional guidance and support children’s health, wellbeing and learning. The consultation runs until 12 June 2026. Further information will be provided in due course.
Breakfast examples
Starchy carbohydrates
Examples include:
- wheat bisks
- shredded wholewheat
- unsweetened puffed wheat
- no added sugar muesli
- plain porridge
- corn flakes
- rice pops
- higher fibre bread such as wholemeal and higher fibre white breads, fruit breads and crumpets
Low sugar, higher fibre cereals
Choose breakfast cereals with the lowest sugar content which are labelled as low (green on the front of pack nutrition label) in total sugar. No added sugar mueslis will not be green on the label because of the dried fruit, but these are still good to serve.
Sugar should not be available for adding to cereals.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables must be made available as part of a breakfast offer. These can be included in a variety of ways including:
- fresh
- dried fruit (with no added sugar) or canned in juice (not syrup) served with cereal, bread or yoghurt
- cooked mushrooms, tomatoes or baked beans (reduced sugar and salt) if schools opt for a hot breakfast offer
Aim to offer a variety of fruit or vegetables across the week.
Lower fat and lower sugar dairy
Dairy or plant-based products and foods can be served. This could be:
- a glass of semi-skimmed milk or plant-based drinks such as soya and oat
- milk or plant-based products provided for cereal
- lower fat no added sugar yoghurt or plant-based yoghurts
Fresh drinking water
Water should be readily available for pupils.
Foods high in fat, salt and sugar
These items are not permitted under the standards and must be avoided. This includes items such as:
- packaged cereal bars
- processed fruit bars
- pre-packaged croissants
- chocolate and chocolate coated products and confectionery
Food and drink to limit
Processed meat products such as sausages and bacon can only be served once a week in primary schools. This applies across the whole school day.
Pastry and deep-fried products can be served no more than twice a week. This applies across the whole school day.
Condiments and table sauces can only be served in portion sizes of:
- no more than 10g packets
- one teaspoonful
Sweet spreads should be reduced sugar and be served in portion sizes of:
- 20g packets
- one teaspoon
Procurement of food
Schools can choose how to source and deliver food as best meets their needs and in accordance with relevant public procurement legislation. There are a number of models that schools can consider, such as:
- sourcing food directly from suppliers, including breakfast club providers, partners or supermarkets or using an existing food supply contract
- utilising an existing catering contract or putting in place a new catering contract with a local authority or private catering company
- using a buying framework including from a public buying organisation or consortia
Schools may wish to use the sustainable procurement: the government buying standards for advice around sustainable sourcing.
Local authority catering services may also be able to support schools with delivery, potentially by varying existing lunch contracts to include breakfast provision.
Schools using a catering company or external provider to deliver the food aspect of their breakfast club will want to check that the company they are using is registered as a food business operator. This means they will receive a food hygiene rating and be inspected by food safety officers at regular intervals.
It is important that schools use reputable suppliers to supply and handle food safety.
Schools that do not have food business operator registration and choose to deliver the food offer using their own staff will need to register separately from other operators.
Food business registration has more information. The Food Standards Agency also have helpful guidance for food business operators in starting your food business safely.
Contact us
Eligible schools have been contacted by email and are invited to confirm their acceptance of funding by 12 June 2026. For any further queries, email nsbp.secondaryschoolsupport@education.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
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Updated to reflect that the national school breakfast programme (NSBP) will end in July 2026. It will be replaced by the free breakfast club programme from September 2026.
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Updated the guidance to reflect the national rollout of free breakfast clubs.
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Updated to reflect that the national school breakfast programme will continue for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
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Updated to reflect participating schools will receive the subsidy until the end of July 2025.
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Added information about the waiting list for schools that express an interest in the National school breakfast club programme.
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First published.