Breakfast Club Early Adopters Research
Ipsos UK, in partnership with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) and Professor Greta Defeyter of Northumbria University, was appointed by the Department for Education (DfE) to conduct research on the Free Breakfast Clubs Early Adopters (EA) scheme. As part of the Labour Party's 2024 Manifesto commitment to establish free breakfast clubs in every primary school in England, the EA scheme launched in April 2025, working with a minimum of 750 schools to test and learn what works ahead of the national rollout to nearly 18,000 schools serving 4.5 million pupils.
The programme aims to give pupils a soft start to the day, ensure no child starts school hungry, support academic readiness and ease financial pressure on families through at least 30 minutes of free before-school childcare alongside breakfast. This research examined how EA schools deliver free breakfast clubs, how pupils engage with provision, and parents' attitudes, experiences, barriers and perceived impacts, generating evidence to inform national rollout.
The research employed a mixed-methods approach structured around test-and-learn principles. Qualitative research comprised structured observations of free breakfast clubs across 8 purposively sampled schools, alongside 26 in-depth interviews and 4 focus groups with 43 parents. A census survey distributed to all EA schools achieved 5,487 parent responses from 321 schools.
A summary of the key qualitative findings can be viewed here.
Infographics of key findings tailored for school staff can be accessed below.
The full research report can be accessed on the DfE's website here.
Key Insights
- Observations across schools found free breakfast clubs to be calm, settled spaces where pupils choose freely what to eat, which activities to join and who to sit with.
- Staff tended to step back into light-touch supervision, and pupils moved through arrival, eating and tidying-up routines largely unprompted, creating a "soft start" that differs from the structured classroom day.
- Parents described the club as far more than a place for their child to eat breakfast: for many it was "fundamental" to keeping a job or shift pattern going.
- Nearly all surveyed parents (92%) were aware their child's school runs a free breakfast club, and 69% of aware parents report their child attends, rising to 79% among full-time working parents.
- Enabling employment is the top motivation among surveyed parents for use (53%), followed by children's enjoyment (43%);
- Satisfaction with the free breakfast club is high overall, with 90%+ of parents satisfied with the safety, flexibility and space.
- Parents of children with SEND particularly value the provision, with 79% saying it supports their child's needs, citing calmer, less crowded mornings and more one-to-one support.
- Non-use often reflects adequate existing routines rather than dissatisfaction: 49% of non-users say their family doesn't need the club, and 32% prefer family breakfast time at home.
- Parents report wide-ranging perceived benefits: 72% say their child has made friends, 68% report less stressful mornings, 80% say it helps them get to work on time, and 52% report spending less on childcare.
