This research by charity, Magic Breakfast, seeks to understand the level and nature of breakfast provision, including the barriers for both schools setting up provision, and for disadvantaged children and young people accessing provision.
The charity has recently partnered with bakery brand, Warburtons, to provide over 1.1 million breakfasts this academic year. It's own research has revealed that children who eat a proper breakfast concentrate more at school and are likely to get better results.
The research shows that 97% of teachers believe breakfast not only benefits a child’s academic success but according to 60% of teachers it can also improve their ability to socialise with other students. Providing children something to eat before classes begin is important according to 95% of teachers, but a quarter say their school doesn’t have a club or trolley to offer this. What’s more, 38% of teachers worry about school budgets impacting morning breakfast clubs for children who - on average - will first say they are ‘hungry’ at 9:54am. More than seven in 10 teachers (71%) also believe a breakfast club gives children time to settle into the school environment before lessons begin.
The research by Magic Breakfast has found a patchwork of provision with no coherent framework to target the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people in the country. Current funding is not sufficient to reach all children and young people unable to learn due to hunger.
Increasing investment in school breakfast provision is also pertinent given the UK is currently experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. This in turn is increasing demand for school breakfast provision with families living in poverty having to make difficult decisions on how to spend their limited resources.