Government to overhaul school menus as 79 new free breakfast clubs open across Yorkshire - including 12 in Doncaster

The new free clubs will offer places for up to 23,000 more local children, taking the total number of those able to benefit following the 104 early adopter schools that launched last year to 47,000.

The rollout offers immediate help to working parents juggling childcare costs by saving them up to £450 and giving back up to 95 hours of time – over two and a half working weeks each year.

That’s money back in pockets and time back in busy lives, helping families with the cost of living whilst ensuring children are ready to learn and succeed.

And soon, children will sit down to healthier, more nutritious meals throughout the school day as the government today sets out its plans to overhaul the School Food Standards for the first time in over a decade.  

One in three children are leaving primary school overweight or obese, while tooth decay from diets high in sugar is the leading cause of hospital admissions for kids aged 5 to 9 – all while sugary treats and deep-fried food continue to feature on school menus.

 Schools will no longer be able to offer unhealthy ‘grab and go’ options like sausage rolls and pizza every day, while deep fried food will be banned completely under the plans. Fruit will also need to be served instead of sugar-laden treats for the majority of the school week.

The move comes after parent polling revealed three quarters are concerned by the food their children are eating. 

To make sure the new standards get the balance right between science-backed nutrition, being practical for schools, and appetising for kids, the government has launched an 8-week consultation. Parents and children are being invited to have their say on the healthier options that have been developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts.  

The new School Food Standards will also include new dedicated breakfast standards to ensure every child begins their day with food that sets them up to learn and thrive.  

Many schools are already leading the way with delicious, nutritious meals that children love - proof that higher standards are both achievable and popular.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "Today we are launching the most ambitious overhaul of school food in a generation, and it is long overdue.

"Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive - meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that good standards on paper become good food on the plate.

"From our Free Breakfast Clubs to extending Free School Meals to over half a million more children, this means good-quality food from the moment children arrive at school to the end of the day."

Health Minister Sharon Hodgson said: “Children are consuming twice the recommended amount of free sugar and offering more nutritious meals at school is a great way of ensuring they eat healthier food.

“We’re determined to reduce the child obesity epidemic and the new School Food Standards represent another piece in a jigsaw of measures designed to help raise the healthiest generation of children ever.”

New polling shows 74% of parents have at least one concern about their child’s nutrition – from too much sugar (43%) and too many fatty foods (24%) to not enough fruit and vegetables (30%).   

 To ensure schools follow the standards the government wants every school to appoint a lead governor responsible for school food and publish their food policy and menus online – so that parents, pupils and communities can hold schools to account. Further robust monitoring measures are being developed and will be announced in due course.

 Following the consultation, the new School Food Standards will be in force from September 2027 – with a phased approach for some changes in secondary schools – giving schools time to develop recipes, update menus and train staff. 

Schools who are ready to adopt the new standards are encouraged to do so straight away.  

 The announcement, on April 12, builds on the government's extension of Free School Meals to every child from a household in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026 - reaching over half a million more children and lifting 100,000 out of poverty. Together, these reforms represent the biggest expansion of school food provision in a generation.  

Dame Emma Thompson, Actor and Food Foundation Celebrity Ambassador said: "I am absolutely thrilled that the government is changing the School Food Standards to make sure that every child has delicious, nutritious school food that they deserve.

"School meals are a golden opportunity to support children's health, learning and wellbeing - and getting this right means children across the country can truly thrive. This is a landmark moment for families, for the NHS, and for the future of our young people."

Naomi Duncan, Chief Executive at Chefs in Schools, one of the lead partners of the School Food Project said, said: “Suggested changes will see a shift towards more freshly prepared and delicious meals that are packed full of nutrition. More fruit and veg and fibre will be served so that young people get all the goodness they need to grow up healthy and thrive. To make the most of this opportunity and ensure our young people are getting the lunch they deserve, we’re also hugely excited to announce the philanthropy funded School Food Project.”

Doncaster schools involved are:

Atlas Academy

Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands

Sheep Dip Lane Academy

Bentley New Village Primary School

Park Primary School

Bawtry Mayflower Primary School

Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy

Carr Lodge Academy

Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy

Bentley High Street Primary School

Edlington Victoria Academy

Rosedale Primary School