This Children’s Mental Health week, we want to shine a light on the importance school breakfast provision on positively impacting children and young people’s mental health.
People underestimate food and how it can affect you mentally and physically. That is why I support Magic Breakfast in their mission to ensure no child or young person is too hungry to learn.”
Melvin Odoom, DJ and TV Presenter
In a survey conducted by the Children’s Society, 85% of parents and carers said they are concerned about the impact of the cost of living crisis on their family. Anxieties resulting from financial hardship can have a negative impact on the mental health of parents and carers, whilst also filtering down to children within the family.1
Against a difficult background, we continue to hear how our breakfast provision impacts positively on a range of outcome areas, with 83% of of schools surveyed in our annual Measuring and Monitoring survey, agree breakfast provision has had a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing. The impact of breakfast goes beyond the school gates; more than filling hungry tummies, our research shows that breakfast plays a vital role in the health and wellbeing of children and young people and much more.
A child joined us in Year 3 from another local school. They had very low attendance due to Mum’s mental well-being/health which impacted negatively on her ability to establish routines and get her child to school either on time or at all. The child’s attendance was 54% at the end of the academic year.
The SLT met with Mum and suggested trialling breakfast club as a way to establish a daily routine to support her getting her child to school. This has proved a great success and the child’s current attendance (June) is now 82% and rising! The child is now more confident, ready to learn and generally less anxious in school. It has also had a positive impact on Mum’s mental well-being and health too!”
Magic Breakfast partner school, North Somerset
- Children’s Society, The Good Childhood Report 2022, https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-09/GCR-2022-Full-Report.pdf