Press Releases

WAITING LIST FOR FOOD AID IN BRITISH PRIMARY SCHOOLS: Magic Breakfast launches a new approach to feeding hungry and malnourished children in schools across Britain.

Monday, 23 January 2012 07:52

Magic Breakfast today outlines a new approach to solving the problem of UK child hunger and malnourishment at the start of the school day, a problem the charity says affects 700,000 primary school children. The new approach involves two levels of support for the most deprived school communities; healthy breakfasts to support educational attainment and tackle child obesity, plus social investment to drive school breakfast club independence by helping teachers and the school community improve their self-funding skills. Magic Breakfast is seeing a hugely increased demand for its food aid, with 80 primary schools on its waiting list.

The charity, which recently won the Prime Minister’s Big Society award, unveils its approach shortly after the Campaign to End Child Poverty’s annual report showed that more than half the children in Tower Hamlets (52%) live in poverty - in Manchester the figure is 49%. Both areas have Magic Breakfast supported schools.

Charity Founder Carmel McConnell says: “teachers tell us they have to bring in food themselves as so many children arrive at school hungry or malnourished. How can this be the case in one of the richest economies in the world? If we want school age children to achieve social mobility, child hunger cannot continue to be such a huge barrier to educational access. We have to solve this at primary school level. Our school partners do a great job and our support programme transforms child attendance, punctuality, concentration and behaviour. It works. For example:

•88% report improved attainment and attendance among Breakfast club children

•94% of these children have healthier eating habits

•93% demonstrate increased concentration and energy in class”

Supported by a range of leading corporates such as Pearson, Quaker Oats, Tropicana Orange Juice, Morgan Stanley and John Lewis, the charity will be officially launching the new three year child nutrition and education investment programme before Easter, supporting 12 Tower Hamlets schools, plus a brand new food and social enterprise programme supported across 50 London primary schools will be unveiled later in the year. Events to launch the programme in Magic Breakfast schools in Manchester are also expected to be announced shortly.

The Mayor’s Fund for London are also interested in supporting Magic Breakfast. Chris Robinson, CEO of the Mayor’s Fund for London said: ‘I am impressed by Magic Breakfast. They are meeting a real need in a practical way. We would like to raise some money to support them in developing their work not just by adding more schools but also by helping them improve their evidence-base and develop the capacity to sustain growth.’

Click here for the full press release

Magic Breakfast announces improved school outcomes

October 10^th 2011 – Immediate release

Contact Founder Carmel McConnell 07710 057955

Operations and Partnerships Manager Alex Cunningham 07973 186502

Magic Breakfast announces improved school outcomes

Magic Breakfast is a charity which provides a healthy school breakfast to 6,000 children each morning in 200 primary schools. These are schools in the most deprived areas of the country, where parent poverty, family circumstances and food awareness mean that children go without food at the start of the day.

Their most recent research, drawn from a survey of 140 primary schools all over the country has shown that 88% of schools see improved student attendance and attainment, and a whopping 91% improvement in child energy and concentration. The charity was set up to solve the problem of children arriving at school too hungry to learn.

In a time when many schools struggle to keep breakfast clubs open the charity has doubled it’s reach in the last year, supporting school over a hundred new schools with food aid as corporate sponsors, such as Quaker Oats and Tropicana orange juice, have joined forces with the charity. The charity receives no public funds, relying on corporate and individual generosity.

Alex Cunningham, who ran the school research programme, said “If we want children from the more deprived communities to achieve social mobility, we have to start at primary school level. These results show that our school programme transforms child attendance, punctuality, concentration and behaviour. It works. Our social enterprise approach is needed in 1,000 schools, to improve parent education and engagement, as well as school capacity to become self funding”.

The charity recently heard that it has won the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award, and invites more businesses to contact them directly, to jointly ensure no child starts their school day too hungry to learn. The charity is shortly to be named Pearson Charity of the Year.

Ends-

Notes to Editors:

1.6 million UK children live in severe poverty according to Save the Children.

1 in 4 UK children will have one hot meal a day, school lunch according to the Child Poverty Action Group.

Magic Breakfast is the largest independent agency working with primary schools to ensure no child starts the day too hungry to learn.

It works with all school partners to help them become self sufficient in their breakfast club provision, using their award winning social enterprise model.

Magic Breakfast contact details. Tel 0207 836 5434.

Website www.magicbreakfast.com, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it