From Autumn 2026, the DfE requires schools running government-funded free breakfast clubs to record daily pupil attendance using DfE-specified codes. This data feeds into the Spring 2027 school census. This is now built directly into the Clubs module, so you won't need any manual workarounds like paper registers.
Permissions
- School: Extra Curricular: Administer - Lets you add and edit clubs and cancel club sessions.
What's new?
DfE Free Breakfast Club option in Club Details
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Mark any new or existing Wraparound Care Club or Standard Club as a DfE Free Breakfast Club (England schools only).
New DfE attendance codes
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Once marked as a DfE Free Breakfast Clubs, the club's session registers show the DfE codes (FBC0 to FBC7) for present/absent.
Bulk closure marking
- For DfE Free Breakfast Clubs, the 'Mark All Blank As' now supports partial-closure codes for sessions where some pupils attended and others didn't, for example due to reduced club capacity.
Cancelling Sessions
This cannot be undone!
Cancelling this session will overwrite every pupil's attendance mark with the closure reason you select below, including anyone already marked present. Once confirmed, this session cannot be reopened or re-registered.
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A separate action for full closures (e.g. due to staff shortages) has been added to Session Overviews of DfE Free Breakfast Clubs to mark the whole session in one go.
You then choose a closure reason attendace code to apply to all students in one go on the slide-over.
Why is this happening?
It's a DfE statutory requirement, not an Arbor product decision. Schools participating in the free breakfast club programme need to capture this data regardless of which system they use.
Converting an existing club
You can convert any existing clubs (Wraparound or Standard) to a DfE Free Breakfast Club.
Converting a club applies from that moment onward. Sessions from that point on will use DfE Free Breakfast Club codes instead of standard attendance codes.
Past sessions remain unaffected, and it is not possible to convert past sessions to include these codes on their registers.
- Go to School > Activities > Clubs
- Click on the club you want to convert to go to its Overview
- For Standard Clubs, under Club Details on the Overview, make sure Take attendance is set to Yes; you can't apply the DfE tag until it is, since the FBC codes only work through the attendance register.
- Click DfE Free Breakfast Club?, tick the box on the slide over and hit Save changes
Sessions from that point onward use the DfE Free Breakfast Club codes. Past sessions keep whatever codes they already had; there's no backfill.
Creating a new DfE Free Breakfast Club
Create the club as normal (Wraparound Care Club or Standard Club) from School > Activities > Clubs by clicking +Add and tick the DfE Free Breakfast Club? on the slide-over before hitting save.
From the first session onward, the register will use the new FBC codes.
For Standard Clubs, make sure "Take attendance" is selected. You can't apply the DfE Free Breakfast Club setting without it, since the tag depends on the attendance register existing.
Free Breakfast Club (FBC) code reference
FBC attendance codes map to the following meanings:
- FBC0 - Pupil did not attend
- FBC1 - Pupil attended
- FBC2 - Unable to attend, staff shortages (full closure)
- FBC3 - Unable to attend, unsuitable space or premises (full closure)
- FBC4 - Unable to attend, other reasons (full closure)
- FBC5 - Unable to attend, staff shortages (partial closure)
- FBC6 - Unable to attend, unsuitable space or premises (partial closure)
- FBC7 - Unable to attend, other reasons (partial closure)
FAQs
We do not take attendance for our Standard Clubs; can we still mark them as DfE Free Breakfast Clubs?
No, the FBC codes only work through the attendance register, so a club without attendance turned on can't be marked as a DfE Free Breakfast Club.
If we change a club to a DfE Free Breakfast Club, does this apply to previous sessions too?
No. Converting a club applies from that moment onward. Sessions from that point on will use DfE Free Breakfast Club codes instead of standard attendance codes.
Past sessions remain unaffected, and it is not possible to convert past sessions to include these codes on their registers.
If we change a club from a DfE Free Breakfast Club, to a non-FBC club, does that affect past attendance?
No, existing FBC records stay as they are; only future sessions revert to standard codes.
What is the difference between Full and Partial FBC codes?
Full closure (FBC2, FBC3 and FBC4) means the club didn't run at all. Partial closure (FBC5, FBC6 and FBC7) means it ran but at reduced capacity. They're not interchangeable.
Can we undo a Session Cancellation?
No, cancelling a session is permanent and will overwrite every pupil's attendance mark with the closure reason you select below, including anyone already marked present.
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