22nd May 2013
Almost half (45%) of education staff believe that without a breakfast club, pupils who attend them wouldn’t have any food before lessons, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
Almost a quarter (23%) believe that parents are having to rely on breakfast clubs to feed their children due to lack of money at home, caused by unemployment.
According to 77% of respondents, making sure pupils eat the most important meal of the day means that pupils’ concentration is better while 71% say it also improves their ability to learn.
A classroom teacher from a primary school in Kent said: “Although there is a charge for our breakfast club, we have accessed funding for those pupils on free school meals and the breakfast club had an effect on their attendance, concentration and being in school for the start of lessons.”
To read the full Association of Teachers and Lecturers Press release, click here