Chancellor pledges £1.4bn to overhaul schools and triple free breakfast club funding
Rachel Reeves commits £1.4bn to repair schools and boost free breakfast clubs, addressing critical needs in education and childcare.
In a bold stride toward revitalising the UK's educational landscape, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced a £1.4 billion commitment to repair and rebuild neglected schools, while also tripling funding for free breakfast clubs.
Revealed yesterday, as part of her first Budget, the pledge aims to support children's learning environments and alleviate the pressures facing families across the UK.
The £1.4 billion funding is set to “guarantee progress” on the school rebuilding initiative that began in 2020, focused on either constructing or significantly refurbishing around 500 schools within a decade—at a rate of 50 schools annually.
This year’s allocation sees a £550 million increase, underscoring Reeves' focus on enhancing existing infrastructure for young learners.
Beyond school buildings, the Chancellor has earmarked £1.8 billion to expand government-funded childcare services. This includes an additional £15 million specifically allocated for nursery facilities within schools, where primary schools can apply for grants up to £150,000. This funding phase is expected to result in around 300 new or upgraded nursery provisions across England.
Reeves also confirmed her commitment to trebling funding for free breakfast clubs, raising the total investment to £30 million for the 2025-26 school year. Following a £7 million pilot set to launch across 750 schools next April, this initiative responds to Labour’s manifesto pledge to allocate £315 million for breakfast clubs by the 2028-29 financial year.
Reactions to the announcement have been mixed. Union representatives have pointed out that, while a positive step, the funding may fall short of covering the full costs required to tackle the backlog of repairs across UK schools. Education analysts similarly warn that this funding boost could maintain but not significantly extend current programmes, underscoring the magnitude of the issues at hand.
Rachel Reeves' £1.4 billion commitment to repairing and upgrading schools, coupled with her plans to triple funding for breakfast clubs, signals a notable investment in educational infrastructure and family support. While the extent of its impact is yet to be seen, this initiative represents a concerted effort to address long-standing challenges in education and childcare. How this unfolds in practice will be closely watched as implementation begins in the coming months.
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Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.
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