The Labour MP for East Thanet has welcomed the announcement that five more primary schools in the constituency will begin offering free breakfast clubs from September 2026.
Polly Billington said on Monday (6 July) that from September this year Newlands Primary School in Ramsgate, St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School in Margate, Drapers Mills Primary Academy in Margate, Chilton Primary School in Ramsgate, and Ramsgate Arts Primary School will all be able to offer free breakfast to every pupil at the beginning of the school day.
The new clubs bring the total number of free primary school breakfast clubs in East Thanet to eight, following the successful opening of clubs at Salmestone Primary School in Margate, Northdown Primary School in Margate, and Dame Janet Primary School in Ramsgate.
The new clubs open at the same time as Labour’s cap on school uniforms comes into force. For some families, heading to school after the summer holidays will now be almost £1,000 cheaper because of cheaper uniforms, free breakfasts, and the expansion of free school meals.
Polly Billington MP said she was delighted that even more families across Thanet would now benefit from the government’s Best Start programme.
She said:
“It’s fantastic news that another five primary schools in East Thanet will be opening free breakfast clubs from September, bringing the total across our constituency to eight so far.
“I’ve seen first-hand the difference these clubs make. When I visited Salmestone Primary School’s breakfast club last year, children told me how much they enjoyed spending time with their friends before lessons, while parents spoke about how they gave a helping hand with childcare and tackling the cost-of-living.
“Combined with our cap on school uniform costs and the expansion of free school meals, Labour are making sure that every parent gets the support they need so their children can learn and thrive.”
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. It means Labour has smashed its target of adding 2,000 schools to the programme this year. Over 680,000 children will attend them after the summer holidays – up from 300,000 today.
Best Start free breakfasts clubs are already delivering cumulative savings of nearly £25million to families, and have served up 10 million free breakfasts and five million hours of free childcare in the morning before school. The result is children are more settled, fed, and ready to learn from the moment the school day begins, while parents save up to £450 per year.
From September, schools in East Thanet 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. New statutory guidance also means schools will need to take more steps to bring down the cost of individual branded items like blazers and jumpers. It comes after polling found a third of parents still worry about uniform costs.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson 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.”
These measures build on the measures already put in place by Labour to help families with the cost of living, including:
- Delivering 30 hours a week of free childcare for preschool children, saving parents up to £8000 per year per child. More than 548,000 codes were validated by parents for the working parent entitlement in spring 2026.
- Expanding free school meals to half a million more children who have a parent in receipt of Universal Credit.
- Building school-based nurseries, creating thousands more places across the country in areas that need them most.
- Scrapping the two-child limit and lifting 450,000 children out of poverty, including more than 4000 children in East Thanet.