A Merseyside headteacher said: “A free breakfast club provides a positive and inclusive start to the day for all our families”
Dozens of schools have joined the new scheme
Dozens of schools across the Liverpool City Region will launch breakfast clubs as part of a new landmark scheme. The Department of Education said the scheme, launching in April, will give 52,000 children across the wider north west a better start while tackling the cost of living pressures.
The “Best Start” free clubs are also aimed at helping parents juggle work and family life. Schools already enrolled in the programme have served around 1.1m meals in the north west and saved families up to £450. The government has said the breakfast clubs are a lifeline for many, and new figures have said nearly half of all parents now prioritise schools offering them.
Emily Blackwell, the head teacher at Roscoe Primary School in Clubmoor, said: “A free breakfast club provides a positive and inclusive start to the day for all our families. It offers children a welcoming, calm environment where they can build routines, develop independence, and arrive in class ready to learn.
“The consistency and structure of a breakfast club support wellbeing and confidence, while for families it offers reassurance and practical support at the start of each day. By ensuring every child has access to a nutritious breakfast and a settled start, the breakfast club strengthens engagement, attendance, and overall school readiness, creating benefits for children, families, and the wider school community.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Free breakfast clubs are revolutionising morning routines up and down the country, becoming an essential part of modern-day life for working families.
“From settling a child into the school day to helping parents get to work, free breakfast clubs are giving every child the best start in life – delivering on our plan for national renewal.
“I was raised by a single parent, so I know first-hand the struggles facing parents trying to make ends meet and how important it is to tackle outdated stigmas with practical support that people can feel every day.”
Applications open today for 1,500 schools to join in September so that 680,000 children nationally could benefit come the autumn. The government said the scheme is part of Labour’s investment to help families, including 30 hours a week of free childcare, building school-based nurseries, cutting the cost of branded school uniforms and scrapping the two-child limit.
Frank Young, Chief Executive of Parentkind said: “This is good news for parents and especially parents juggling the pressures of work and school drop-offs. We know that parents want breakfast clubs, and they help them to get children to school and hold down jobs. It’s particularly important for children to start their day well and get ready for school. Parents will applaud this news.”
Today’s announcement of 116 new schools in the north west joining the scheme brings the total number in the region to 230. The ECHO has listed all the new additions to the scheme in the Liverpool City Region below.
Liverpool
Roscoe Primary School
St Cleopas’ Church of England Primary Academy
Northcote Primary School
Four Oaks Community Primary School
St Finbar’s Catholic Primary School
The Trinity Catholic Academy
Garston Church of England Primary School
Croxteth Community Primary School
St Silas Church of England Primary School
St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School
Heygreen Primary School
Smithdown Primary School
St Michael’s Catholic Primary School
Our Lady and St Philomena’s Catholic Primary School
Faith Primary Academy
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School
Belle Vale Community Primary School
Dovecot Primary School
Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Our Lady and St Swithin’s Catholic Primary School
Ranworth Square Primary School
Kirkdale St Lawrence CofE VA Primary School
Sefton
Thomas Gray Primary School
Linacre Primary School
Rimrose Hope CofE Primary School
Wirral
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Wallasey
Chapelhill Primary School
Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School
Kingsway Primary School
Hayfield School
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School
St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School
St Peter’s Catholic Primary School
Woodlands Primary School
Grove Street Primary School
Knowsley
Knowsley Central School
Stockbridge Village Primary School
St Marie’s Catholic Primary School
Park Brow Community Primary School
St Helens
Carr Mill Primary School
The District CofE Primary School
Merton Bank Primary School
Thatto Heath Community Primary School
Rectory CofE Primary School
Halton
Murdishaw West Community Primary School
Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School
Woodside Primary School
Castle View Primary School