28 January 2026

How school breakfast helps children with SEND develop new social skills

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Written by Magic Breakfast Team

[He] didn’t know how to butter a bagel six months ago, now he's making bagels for the whole class.
Home > What we do > News and views > How school breakfast helps children with SEND develop new social skills

We know that the magic of breakfast exists beyond the food.

With over 20 years of experience, we’ve seen that breakfast does far more than fill tummies. In SEND/ASN settings, it can be especially powerful, breaking down barriers to opportunity by supporting emotional wellbeing, learning, and independence. 

According to our Annual Breakfast Survey, 89% of our SEND partner schools agree that school breakfasts help their students to develop better social skills.

Our spotlight on SEND/ASN schools, tells us that the benefits of school breakfasts reach far and wide, including:

  • Enabling pupils to gain independence and life skills
  • Increasing independence and life skills
  • Supporting learning and development
  • Positively effecting mental health and emotional wellbeing

These young people… might not get the chance very often to hang out at a café with friends and be around others like this. This is a real opportunity for them to practice these social skills before they go out into the world. 

Elaine Padgett, Pastoral Lead, Greenacre School, Barnsley
A group of students at an SEND school sit around the table to enjoy breakfast together

Discover more about the benefits of breakfast

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28 January 2026


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