Ivybridge Primary to Get Free Breakfast Club
Becomes third school in the borough to participate in national roll out
Seven million breakfasts have already been provided under the scheme. Picture: DfE
February 5, 2026
Ivybridge Primary School in Isleworth will become the latest school in the boroughto offer a free breakfast club from April, as part of the Labour Government’s expansion of its Best Start programme. The scheme, which aims to support families with the cost of living and improve children’s readiness for learning, is being extended to 500 more schools across the country.
Two other schools in the borough — Marlborough Primary in Syon and Cavendish Primary in Chiswick Homefields — were among the first to take part in last year’s pilot phase. Ivybridge will now join them, with the Government saying the rollout is focused on areas facing structural inequality.
According to the Department for Education, more than seven million breakfasts have already been served nationally, with the programme estimated to save families up to £450 a year and give parents as much as 95 extra hours of childcare time. Ministers say evidence from the pilot shows improvements in attendance, behaviour and attainment.
Brentford and Isleworth MP, Ruth Cadbury, “Parents, pupils & school staff have told me how much of a difference free breakfast clubs make- they let children start the day with a meal & allow parents to get to work earlier in the morning.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said breakfast clubs were “revolutionising morning routines” and helping children start the school day settled and ready to learn. She added that universal access helped reduce stigma and encouraged more families to use the service.
The expansion comes alongside a wider package of measures the Government says is aimed at supporting families. Over the past year, it has removed the two‑child benefit cap, extended free school meals to more than 15,000 children in Hounslow, expanded 30 hours of free childcare to an additional 4,400 local children, and introduced limits on the number of compulsory school uniform items.
Councillor Samia Chaudhary, Hounslow Council’s cabinet member for education, said the new breakfast club would make a practical difference to families. “This will help free up struggling parents by giving them more time in the mornings and ensure children start the day ready to learn,” she said. She pointed to research suggesting breakfast clubs can boost attendance and help pupils make additional progress in reading, writing and maths.
Cllr Chaudhary said the council was also investing locally through its Holiday Activities and Food programme, Family Hubs and Family First scheme, and by allocating £250,000 to widen access to leisure and wellbeing opportunities for young people.
Applications are now open for a further 1,500 schools to join the breakfast club programme from September, which the Government says could extend access to 680,000 children nationwide. The scheme is backed by £80 million targeted at the most disadvantaged areas.
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