Magic Breakfast provides healthy school breakfasts to children in England and Scotland who are at risk of going hungry
From encouraging reading to teaching times tables, there are plenty of ways to help kids succeed at school.
But the likelihood of a child getting the most out of every school day is heavily influenced by one factor that is often overlooked – whether they had a good breakfast.
Research shows children who eat a proper meal in the morning are more focused in lessons and, in turn, achieve better academic results*.
But a new study** reveals that cost of living pressures are making it harder for families to access healthy meals, with 20% of children worried about not having enough food at home.
The survey of parents and pupils aged 4 to 19 also found tighter budgets had forced 23% of parents to buy less fresh food, including fruit and vegetables.
Currently, the charity provides breakfast to more than 200,000 pupils at 1,000 schools, from primary through to secondary
Meanwhile, 63% families said they had switched to buying cheaper food at the supermarket in order to save money.
Lindsey MacDonald is CEO of Magic Breakfast, an education charity which carried out the research with funding from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
‘I was shocked and saddened by the findings of our research,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
‘We know parents and caregivers do everything to protect children from the pressures they might be facing, so it was striking to see how acutely they are being affected at home.
‘And what has really struck me is that more families and children are experiencing these issues for the first time.’
Magic Breakfast provides healthy school breakfasts to children in England and Scotland who are at risk of going hungry.
Partner schools usually open their doors a little early each morning to offer their pupils a free meal featuring nutritious options like cereal, fruit and porridge.
In addition to ensuring children aren’t going hungry, breakfast provision provides a calm, safe environment at the start of the day and warmth during cold periods when some families are struggling to heat their homes.
Currently, the charity provides breakfast to more than 200,000 pupils at 1,000 schools, from primary through to secondary.
Research shows children who eat a proper meal in the morning are more focused in lessons and, in turn, achieve better academic results
‘We truly have the best start to the day’
Headteacher Catherine Jones says the free breakfasts provided by Magic Breakfast are hugely beneficial
Catherine Jones is headteacher of Thorney Close Primary School in Sunderland, which has been working with Magic Breakfast for several years.
Every school day starts with a free breakfast in class for pupils, including hot food like bagels and baked beans.
‘When we first set up the programme we noticed some children went back for seconds or even thirds, which really surprised me,’ she says.
‘Some children would polish off cornflakes and a bagel, so were clearly coming into school hungry.
‘But what surprised me even more was that if there were any bagels left over at break time, children were eating them cold because they were hungry again already.’
Catherine says she has noticed children become ‘more settled, focused, happy and ready to learn’ since the programme was introduced.
And those aren’t the only benefits the headteacher has observed.
‘One of the biggest changes in our school is the children now arrive on time, and attendance has got better,’ she says.
‘We truly have the best start to the day. The children enjoy it so they now want to come into school early.’
To understand the importance of getting a proper breakfast you only have to listen to pupils themselves.
One, from Yorkshire and the Humber, described how it ‘helps you have a positive start to the day – you have some energy in your body, and it fuels your mind’.
Another, who attends a secondary school in the east of England, said that skipping breakfast leaves them ‘sleepy to the point where I don’t hear anything’.
As well as making every day more productive and enjoyable for pupils, providing free breakfasts can deliver massive economic benefits for the country and ensure the taxpayer money spent on education isn’t wasted.
In fact, a study found that providing a year’s worth of breakfasts to a child in Key Stage One could generate more than £9,000 in economic benefits by boosting their educational attainment and future earnings***.
Learn more about the work Magic Breakfast does here.
Magic Breakfast is a registered charity in England & Wales (110251) and Scotland (SC048202). Funding awarded by Postcode Children Trust, a registered Scottish charity (SC044773).
How you can help People’s Postcode Lottery keep supporting charities like Magic Breakfast
Fancy doing your bit for good causes up and down the country while being in with the chance of winning up to £1million to share with your neighbours? Thought so!
With People’s Postcode Lottery, you pay a £12 a month subscription to be automatically entered into every draw.
Winners are announced every day of the month, including a share of £1 million for one winning postcode every Saturday as part of the brand new Millionaire Street prize.
There’s also £1,000 to be won every weekday for every ticket in twenty postcodes, £30,000 for every winning ticket in one postcode every Sunday, and a monthly prize of at least £3.2million for one lucky area.
The prospect of winning big on a regular basis is, naturally, a huge attraction. But signing up won’t just benefit you…
At least 33 per cent of the price of every People’s Postcode Lottery ticket goes to good causes.
Players have raised more than £1billion so far for charities, including £3.5million for Magic Breakfast alone.
Its CEO, Lindsey McDonald, said: ‘The regular support we receive from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery is so important.
‘We only need 28p to buy a child a breakfast. That doesn’t just include food and delivery, but also the expert help we provide schools to improve their breakfast clubs.
‘While one day we hope the Government will fund universal free breakfasts for pupils, our current approach ensures the learning potential of every school day isn’t lost.’
Estimated maximum ticket prize in the July millions and Millionaire Street prize draws is £391,000. Winning postcodes for July’s draws announced daily from 8th July – 4th August. T&Cs Apply.
People’s Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 charities, each has one draw a month and receives a minimum of 33% from ticket sales
*Survey of 500 teachers from across the country by Magic Breakfast in association with Warburton’s – https://www.warburtons.co.uk/news/a-good-breakfast-before-school/
**What’s for breakfast? Report by Magic Breakfast and Qa Research – https://www.magicbreakfast.com/Blog/whats-for-breakfast
***The economic cost-effectiveness of the Magic Breakfast model of school breakfast provision – by Pro Bono Economics, in partnership with Magic Breakfast and Heinz. Published: February 2021 – https://www.magicbreakfast.com/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=e196b886-25b1-46fb-a455-e093001ac210
Magic Breakfast provides healthy school breakfasts to children in disadvantaged areas of England and Scotland who are at risk of going hungry.
