Magic Breakfast welcomes the new Scottish Government 

On behalf of Magic Breakfast, I offer congratulations to John Swinney MSP on his reappointment as First Minister of Scotland alongside MSPs from across the chamber for their election. As he said in his speech to the chamber on Tuesday, he will lead a Government that, ‘will work to build a Scotland where families are supported through the cost of living crisis and where the pressures that they face are eased, not ignored.’ This is vital. And that’s why we’re calling for bold action to deliver a stronger future for young Scots. 

It was John Swinney, addressing a remote SNP conference from his Perthshire garden in 2020, who made a promise that he would deliver universal breakfast provision across Scotland’s primary and special schools. Now is the time for the First Minister to follow through on this commitment and deliver the 2026/27 Scottish Budget commitment to universal provision in all primary and special schools from August 2027. 

Breakfast can’t stop there though. School breakfast provision is a low-cost intervention that can benefit young people’s outcomes across the board, supporting poverty alleviation, attainment and skills development, protecting children’s rights, delivering stronger public health outcomes, increasing employment outcomes, and supporting families through delivering more childcare opportunities.  

The benefits of breakfast go beyond the education portfolio. I congratulate the new Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic Màiri McAllan for her appointment. Whilst her portfolio will deliver on the Scottish Government’s commitment it is critical that school breakfast provision is seen as a cross-governmental intervention. That’s why my team and I also look forward to continuing to work with Jenny Gilruth as she takes on her new role as Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, working with Angela Constance in her new role as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care, and Shirley-Anne Somervile in her role as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing. Alongside other portfolios, these areas will all experience the tangible benefits and outcomes for children from delivering universal breakfast provision in primary and special schools. 

But these benefits don’t just start at Primary One and end at Primary Seven. We need to see breakfast provision extended in this term of Parliament to secondary school pupils and early learning settings. 

Scotland needs bold action that will deliver the widespread benefits of breakfast. We stand ready and waiting to support the new Government and Parliament to deliver our three-point plan for young Scots. 

• Deliver the commitment to universal primary and special school breakfast. 
• Expand the universal school breakfast offer to all of Scotland’s secondary schools. 
• Build on the success of school age commitments and expand provision to early learning and childcare settings, starting with local authority-based settings. 

Only by delivering our plan, can the new Scottish Government deliver a future where all children and young people are given a fair start at life. As the First Minister said this week, he has an ambition to ‘make concrete, tangible differences that people can see and feel in their homes, in their communities, and in their day to day lives.’ This ambition will ensure every young Scot is nourished, empowered, and able to thrive.