A question we sometimes hear is: ‘If parents can afford to provide breakfast, why should their children get free breakfasts at school too?’
At first glance, it might seem logical to reserve school breakfasts only for those in financial need. But in practice, means testing doesn’t work – and can actually create more barriers for the very children it’s meant to help.
What is means testing?
Checking people’s financial status to decide if they are eligible for support or not.
The first issue is stigma. When breakfast is only offered to children from low-income households, it risks singling them out. Some pupils would rather skip breakfast than be labelled as ‘the child who needs help’. That means the children most in need could still end up starting the day hungry.
There’s also the challenge of fairness and accuracy. Teachers tell us it can be very difficult to determine who needs breakfast. Just because a child comes from a well-off family doesn’t mean they’ve eaten in the morning. Busy schedules, parental work patterns, or even family challenges can mean breakfast is missed. Universal provision ensures no child falls through the cracks.
And when it comes to costs, providing breakfast for all children is more efficient than it might sound. We’ve found that, once a school has the logistics in place – food supplies, staff, and preparation – adding extra portions for more pupils costs very little. In fact, it’s often simpler and more cost-effective to run breakfast as a universal offer, rather than creating complicated systems to check and monitor eligibility.
Most importantly, universal school breakfasts send a powerful message: no child should feel ashamed of needing food. Every child deserves to start the day with the same opportunity to learn, concentrate, and thrive. By removing stigma and making breakfast part of the school routine for everyone, we make sure that those who need it most actually benefit.
At the end of the day, school breakfasts aren’t about who ‘deserves’ them, they’re about making sure every child has the best possible start.
We’re campaigning for breakfast for all. You can get involved to support out work.
