Children too hungry to learn When you think about hunger as a barrier to education the UK might not be the first country that comes to mind, but shockingly the government estimates that there are over ½ million children who arrive at school too hungry or malnourished to learn. * There are 3.6 million children living in poverty in the UK today. That’s 27 per cent of children. * 32% of UK school children regularly skip breakfast in the morning. * 55% of teachers bring in food because their pupils arrive hungry. “I’ve seen a child slip under his desk, faint with hunger. I’ve taken him out, given him a drink and one of your bagels and he sprang back into life. He’d probably not eaten anything since school dinner the day before. That’s why we rely on Magic Breakfast. With breakfast, children are ready and able to learn.” Member of staff at a Magic Breakfast partner school. Manage Cookie Preferences