Responding to the 2024 Autumn Budget statement delivered by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, Magic Breakfast Chief Executive, Dr Lindsey MacDonald, said:
With 1 in 5 children and young people at risk of arriving at school too hungry to learn, the funding for school breakfast announced by the chancellor in her first budget is urgently needed. It is a vital step toward removing hunger as a barrier to learning and unlocking the proven benefits of free school breakfasts.”
A positive step forward
“The £30 million announced by the chancellor will extend the school breakfast Early Adopter Programme, announced in September, to April 2026. At the same time funding will be made available to extend the National School Breakfast Programme into the 2025-26 school year. This will ensure that schools in disadvantaged communities do not face a cliff edge to their funding next summer, as Magic Breakfast and our supporters called for through our Breakfast Powers Opportunity campaign.
“This time next year the UK Government will be directly supporting breakfast provision in over 3,000 schools across England. Whilst this increased level of support is welcome, it leaves more than 20,000 schools without support and millions of children and young people will continue to walk through the school gates too hungry to learn.1
An opportunity to get this right
“The £30 million commitment is just 10% of the government’s manifesto commitment to spending £315 million on school breakfast provision. We recognise and have made the case to civil servants and parliamentarians, that effective implementation of this policy is crucial. This means taking the time to test and learn how to best roll out a national policy to deliver the Prime Minister’s promised measurable objective that a ‘record number of children start school ready to learn.’ It also means that next year’s spending review should offer a roadmap to full implementation of the government’s commitment within this parliament.
“Such a long-term roadmap will ensure funding is sufficient and sustainable. Magic Breakfast found that 92% of teachers want the rollout to deliver adequate staff and equipment funding. As well as proper school resourcing, an effective and efficient rollout must be enabled by expert advice and support for school leaders and staff who continue to balance an overwhelming number of priorities.
“Our experience and research emphasise that schools must be encouraged to consider and deliver a variety of school breakfast models, beyond breakfast clubs. These include provision in the classroom, nurture groups, grab and go, and for pupils, often the most vulnerable, who arrive late. Guidance and requirements must ensure high quality and nutritionally beneficial breakfasts are provided without stigma or barriers.
“Clear objectives with robust measuring and monitoring will be essential to ensure the Early Adopter Programme can be used to inform a successful national roll out. Magic Breakfast is ready to support the Government with our over two decades of experience in delivering, augmenting, and evaluating school breakfast provisions.
“The £30 million of funding announced will be spent exclusively in England. Magic Breakfast will interrogate how this can support new funding streams for governments across all nations. In Scotland, our team will continue to push the Scottish Government to deliver on their commitment, now almost half a decade old, to universal breakfast provision in all primary and ASN schools.
It is in part a testament to the impact of Magic Breakfast’s work in schools, for more than 20 years, that £30 million has been committed to free school breakfasts. It is also an important indication of this new government’s intention to deliver on their missions. Magic Breakfast remains committed to delivering a future where children and young people are hungry to learn, not just hungry.”
- The Food Foundation, Food Insecurity Tracking, https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/food-insecurity-tracking