A leading provider in education recruitment, Affinity Workforce Solutions has welcomed the government’s newly published School Food Standards, which for the first time introduce dedicated breakfast standards for schools in England.

Affinity’s own supply teachers have long seen the effects first-hand, regularly encountering children arriving at school without having eaten properly. The company addressed this directly through its own Before the Bell campaign in January 2026, when it delivered over 8,500 free breakfasts to more than 1,600 pupils across schools in Barnsley, Birmingham, Wirral and London. The government’s announcement now backs what Affinity has already been working to address.

The Department for Education published its formal response to the consultation this week. The review ran from April to June and received over 5,200 responses from parents, pupils, schools, caterers and health professionals.

The revised standards place greater emphasis on fruit, vegetables, fibre and healthy protein, while reducing sugar and salt in school food.

For the first time, dedicated breakfast standards will ensure food and drink provided before the school day is lower in sugar and higher in fibre.

The changes sit alongside the continued rollout of free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school in England. Regulations are due to be laid in October 2026, with most standards coming into force from September 2027.

Affinity’s Before the Bell programme was developed after teachers reported seeing hungry children at the start of the school day. One in three teachers say this happens daily.

Esme Bianchi-Barry, CEO of Affinity Workforce Solutions, said: “We welcome the government’s new School Food Standards, and particularly the introduction of dedicated breakfast standards for the first time. It’s really encouraging to see breakfasts and school meals being treated so seriously by the government, giving children the best possible start to their day.

“Too many children arrive at school without having eaten properly, and that has a real impact on their ability to concentrate, learn and behave well in the classroom. We launched our own campaign, Before the Bell, after our teachers began telling us they were seeing this happen. Because our teachers work across a variety of different schools as supply staff, they’re in a unique position to see these effects first hand, not just in one setting but repeated across many. 

“One in three of them told us they see hungry children at the start of the school day, and hunger like this doesn’t just affect a child’s morning, it can shape how they cope with the whole school day ahead. It’s a real boost for us to see this backed by national policy, and it gives us fresh momentum as we prepare to relaunch Before the Bell in 2027,” she added.

Discover more about Affinity Workforces ‘Before the Bell” initiative to bring healthy breakfasts to children in schools across the UK.

Before the Bell