Contact speaks in House of Lords as breakfast clubs launch

2 mins read

Tuesday 22 April 2025

This morning the first 750 primary schools in England launched their free breakfast clubs as part of a national trial that runs until July.

Thousands of parents across nine regions will benefit from half an hour of free childcare before school each day. From July, breakfast clubs are expected to rollout across the country.

The government committed to funding free breakfast clubs in its manifesto, arguing that the offer will improve attendance and academic performance.

Contact urges lords to ensure clubs are accessible

We think the provision of universal free breakfast clubs is a positive step towards supporting children’s wellbeing. But we still think the bill does not sufficiently ensure that these clubs will be accessible to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Today, the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) is hosting a schools event in the House of Lords, where the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which sets out breakfast clubs provision, is currently being debated. Our policy officer Imogen Steele is speaking at the event about the need to make the clubs inclusive.

Research from Contact and the DCP found that a third of eligible disabled children were already missing out on free school meals to which they were entitled. Barriers disabled children face include specific dietary requirements, lack of transport to get to school, and lack of specialist support staff at meal times.

We are recommending amendments to the Bill to strengthen the breakfast club provisions. This includes:

  • A clear requirement for schools to make reasonable adjustments so disabled children can benefit from provision, including providing specialist staff.
  • Duties on local authorities to co-operate with schools in delivering their duties, including ensuring home to school transport they provide allows attendance at breakfast clubs.
  • Including support needed to access breakfast in education, health and care (EHC) plans.
  • Duties on local authorities to  make arrangements for breakfast provision for children receiving education otherwise than at school (EOTAS).