Magic Breakfast has recruited all the agreed 184 schools to the project and started deliveries of free, healthy breakfasts whilst also providing expert advice on setting up an ongoing, sustainable service.
On average, each school is providing a breakfast to 65 pupils daily, over 11,800 nationally each day. Schools are reporting the clubs having a positive impact across the school day, with pupils more settled and attentive. Improvements in punctuality and attendance are commonly given as positive outcomes of the breakfast clubs. In one secondary school the number of pupils arriving late has halved and the school has estimated that attendance has improved by 3%.
Fourteen ‘What Works Well’ regional sharing events were held in the last year. Highlighting their success, one headteacher shared the enthusiasm her breakfast club coordinator brought back to school. “She came back buzzing saying ‘we need to do this and the other’. She came back really invigorated.”
“At KS2 we achieved 83% combined L4 – up from 33% last year and in Year 2 we were not far off 80% reading, writing and maths L2b+, compared to around 50% in previous years. It’s been an incredible year. We must be a great case study for 1000 good reasons to have a breakfast club….”
Sam Bailey, The Forest Academy, Barnsley.
Some schools have asked for more help to ensure all breakfasts meet the new school food standards. Magic Breakfast is holding a number of parent engagement events in schools, to bring nutritional education and the importance of a healthy breakfast to the wider school community.
Magic Breakfast will continue to work with each of the Lot 3 funded schools. A plan for financial sustainability will be put in place to ensure the schools can continue running their provision, reaching all the vulnerable children beyond food aid.