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<p>The government remains committed to ensuring the most disadvantaged children continue
to be supported.</p><p>The department is investing up to £38 million in the National
School Breakfast Programme. Overall, this money will set up or improve breakfast clubs
in up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, making them sustainable in the long
run. The focus of these clubs has been to target the most disadvantaged areas of the
country – including the Department for Education’s Opportunity Areas – to help make
sure every child gets the best start in life. We will shortly be providing more information
on the future of breakfast club provision, as our current contract is due to expire
in July.</p><p>During the periods of school attendance restrictions, schools have
been asked to continue to provide support for eligible free school meal pupils learning
at home. Schools have been able to choose the approach that works best for them, whether
providing a lunch parcel, a locally arranged voucher or accessing the national voucher
scheme. So far families have redeemed more than £90 million in supermarket vouchers
during this school term.</p><p>The government has taken unprecedented measures during
the COVID-19 outbreak to protect the most vulnerable and put in place a strong package
of financial support to support families and children. The COVID Winter Support Package
was announced in November 2020. This included: the Department for Work and Pensions’
£170 million COVID Winter Grant Scheme, which has now been extended until the end
of the Easter holidays (16 April 2021); the £220 million national expansion of the
department’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme in 2021; and a further £16 million
for FareShare to distribute to food charities.</p><p> </p>
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