Three more schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme to provide free breakfast clubs for pupils

Parents at 1,400 more schools nationwide will save up to £450 through free breakfast clubs from September, when more than 2,700 will be up and running. Across the country, over 680,000 children will attend free breakfast clubs after the summer holidays – up from 300,000 today.

In Newcastle-under-Lyme, this means there will be a total of five free breakfast club programmes, with Sun Academy Bradwell, Hempstalls Primary School and Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary School joining The Meadows Primary School in Madeley and Langdale Primary School in the Westlands, which began offering programmes in Spring 2025.

From September, schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme must also comply with the new legal limits on the number of branded uniform items they can require. It means parents can buy more of the everyday basics, like trousers and shirts, from any shop or supermarket rather than one pricey supplier. It comes after polling found a third of parents still worry about uniform costs.

The government has also published strengthened statutory guidance telling schools to take more steps to bring down the cost of individual items, especially for more expensive items like blazers and jumpers, in time for the new academic year.

Taken together, heading back to school under Labour is now set to be almost £1,000 cheaper for many families. A child could benefit from up to £450 a year through a free breakfast club and up to £500 a year through the expansion of free school meals to every household on Universal Credit – on top of cheaper uniforms as the new branded-item limit is introduced.

 Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said:

“No parent should have to choose between a summer day out to the beach and kitting their child out for school.

“From September, families will feel the difference at the school gates: free breakfast clubs at 1,400 more schools, an end to expensive lists of branded uniform, and more free lunches for those who need them.

“That's the British childhood this government believes in – and why we'll always fight to give every child the very best start in life."

Adam Jogee MP said:

“Getting Best Start free breakfast clubs into our schools here in Newcastle-under-Lyme is something I've fought hard for, working closely with our Labour government, and I couldn't be prouder to see it delivered.

"This expansion means real savings for local families at a time when, for many, every penny matters, and it means every child in our community — whatever their background — gets the best possible start to their school day with a good, nutritious breakfast inside them.

"Alongside the welcome action we've taken on school uniform costs, this is Labour cutting the cost of getting our children into school, so they can get on with getting the brilliant education they deserve."