At one of our partner schools in Manchester, more than half the school population is trying to survive on an annual family income of less than £16,190.
That’s half what the average UK family has to live on each year (Office for National Statistics).
Pressure on family budgets can impact young people in ways that are far-reaching and often overlooked, from hunger to financial stress and worry.
When hunger exists in the classroom, young people are less able to learn. Unable to concentrate and distracted by rumbling tummies, pupils going without breakfast miss out on hours and hours of learning every year.
Teachers at Loreto, where Magic Breakfast works in partnership with the school to provide breakfast, report that students are more likely to be able to focus and regulate in lessons when they have had their morning meal at school.
When it comes to supporting families experiencing financial uncertainty, FLIC’s financial curriculum can help young people feel more informed. Lessons are designed to help students understand money and avoid common real-life spending traps, such as while gaming online.
It is clear that both breakfast and financial confidence are powerful in breaking the cycle of poverty and shaping futures. As one Loreto student so perfectly puts it: “Breakfast is a basic human right.” So is financial literacy. Let’s put both on the table for young people.
I have often felt I could pick out the breakfasted from the unbreakfasted based on levels of concentration and behaviour.”
– Lucy Kellaway, Financial Times
