Responding to the Chancellor's announcement of plans to test the delivery of the government's promised free breakfast clubs at 750 primary schools from April, James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said:

"Breakfast clubs can really help ensure children start the day able to focus and ready to learn. While many schools already run them, it is understandable that the government is looking to extend their reach.

"It makes a lot of sense to run an early adopters scheme before this policy is fully rolled-out.

"This should be an opportunity to trial different models of delivery and to get a better sense of what does and does not work as well as what the likely take-up will be.

"It will be vital that the government listens to the feedback from these early adopters before moving ahead with the policy on a larger scale."