Open Call for Engagement: Best Start Free Breakfast Clubs Enrichment Sponsorship Academic Year 26/27

Please note - This notice is not a call for competition.

Could your organisation partner with the Department for Education’s (DfE) free breakfast club programme to help pupils start the day ready to learn?

The free breakfast club programme supports the government's aims of giving every pupil, regardless of their background, the best start in life (www.gov.uk/government/publications/giving-every-child-the-best-start-in-life). Free Breakfast clubs break down barriers to every child achieving and thriving (https://teaching.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/13/start-your-school-day-right-the-benefits-of-breakfast-clubs/) at school and in later life, by ensuring they are ready to learn as well as supporting families with the cost of living, and tackling poverty. 

The first 750 ‘early adopter’ free breakfast clubs opened their doors in April 2025, and these schools are now successfully offering a free 30-minute club alongside a healthy breakfast to their pupils. Following on from the success of this test and learn phase, national rollout will begin in April 2026 targeting the most disadvantaged areas, with a further 500 schools taking part. By September 2026, over 680,000 children across 3,000 schools will benefit from the programme.

We know the difference a soft start and healthy breakfast can make for pupils with regards to attendance, attainment and behaviour, and we believe greater impact can be achieved by partnering with organisations who can help schools make their breakfast clubs even better.

Last October, in a landmark move, the government joined forces with four industry partners (www.gov.uk/government/news/british-brands-back-free-breakfast-clubs) to provide the 750 early adopter schools with discounts and deals as part of a test and learn phase. These partnerships are helping schools to serve up more affordable, varied breakfast options whilst saving time for busy school staff, which is why we launched a market engagement period (www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009972-2026) to explore further opportunities for food partnerships beyond July 2026, when the current agreements end.

Alongside this, we would like to explore partnerships that can support pupils’ soft start to the day. Our early adopter schools are already offering engaging activities that enhance children’s development and wellbeing1, and we want to build on this success. To help support schools further, we are seeking partners who can offer resources that make free breakfast clubs even more fun and enriching, helping pupils begin the day ready to learn. We are also considering how activity ideas and materials could be brought together in one accessible place online to further support schools in shaping enjoyable and inclusive free breakfast club sessions.

We are interested in resources suitable for all primary-aged pupils from Reception, Key Stage 1 (ages 5–7), and Key Stage 2 (ages 7–11), and welcome partners that could support light-touch, child-led activities for one or more of these age-groups in any of the following categories:

• express creativity
• explore the outdoors
• be active
• connect with the wider community
• develop wider life skills

We are particularly interested in physical resources such as toys, board games, activity kits, books, arts and crafts supplies or sports and outdoor equipment, as well as voucher‑based options such as gift cards or redeemable credits that allow schools to choose resources tailored to their pupils’ interests and available space. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive, and other suitable proposals are welcome.

Whilst the Department for Education would welcome a range of offers from potential partners, the Department’s expectation is that resources aimed at pupils which are wholly digital and/or IT based are unlikely to meet the above requirements

Resources received will help schools as they setup their free breakfast clubs and welcome pupils at the beginning of the new school year, ensuring every child can start their school day nourished, settled, and ready to learn.

We will be hosting a webinar via Microsoft Teams at 11:00 on 5th March 2026 for organisations interested in this opportunity.

We look forward to hearing from organisations who share our ambition to make free breakfast clubs a positive, enriching experience so that every pupil, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to achieve and thrive.

Please note that this notice is for early market engagement and exploratory purposes and is not a call for competition. The Department for Education reserves the right not to enter any formal processes or agreements. Accordingly, the Department for Education will not be liable for any bid cost, expenditure, work, or effort incurred by a provider in acting based on this notice.