By 8am, the corridors of E-ACT Willenhall Academy are already ringing with 90s dance music and the sound of feet pounding the corridors, as pupils start arriving. Every morning, around 400 students use the breakfast club, either sitting down to revise, chat or finish homework – or using the grab-and-go system to head off and play sport.
11-year-old Jade, who is in year 7, is grabbing a bagel. “I like coming to breakfast club because I like the food and I like to see my friends in the morning,” she says. “I like helping serve the teas and coffees. It’s good to have a breakfast club because some people can’t afford food at home. Food at school means you have that energy for school work.”
16-year-old Robert, in year 11, is about to do his GCSEs. “I get up early to catch the bus so I often eat breakfast at school,” he says. “I’ll eat a bagel, toast and squash when I get here. Some people struggle with their mental health and isolation, so the breakfast club is a place where we can meet up with one another and interact. It has a really positive impact on people’s wellbeing.”
As the Labour government approaches the second anniversary of its election, it is honing in on children and young people’s nutrition as a key driver of health and social mobility. From September, in a victory for Mirror campaigning, half a million more children will be eligible for free school meals.
A fortnight ago, the government said it will revamp school food standards across the nation, with a focus on making meals healthier. And the Education Secretary has announced 500 new free breakfast clubs will begin to open their doors this month – adding to clubs already opened in 750 primary schools.
But Magic Breakfast, a charity which has been providing free breakfasts to combat child hunger since 2003, says children over the age of 11 urgently need the same level of government support.
The charity wants to see an expansion of breakfast programmes for teenagers. Meanwhile, campaigners are concerned that the Department for Education has yet to confirm details of what will happen with 900 existing secondary school breakfast clubs when the National School Breakfast Programme ends in July.
Now, a new report – More Than Breakfast – commissioned by the charity has found that when teenagers miss breakfast, it can hold them back. “We’ve seen wonderful progress made by the UK Government on school breakfast provision,” says Magic Breakfast’s Natalie Dilworth. “The roll out of the Free Breakfast Club Programme for all primary-aged pupils continues at pace with another 500 schools joining the scheme in April.
“But school, like hunger, does not stop at age 11. As Magic Breakfast’s new report highlights, a nourishing school breakfast can support teenagers’ health and wellbeing, their educational outcomes, their feelings of social inclusion, crime prevention in their communities, as well as creating broader social and economic benefits too. Our new campaign starts our work to advocate for an expansion of school breakfast provision to include secondary-aged pupils. It’s more than breakfast – it’s about giving children and young people the tools they need to learn and thrive both in school, and beyond.”
In a place like Willenhall, in Walsall, where families are struggling with the cost-of-living, breakfast is too often a luxury. Despite being a strong, tight-knit West Midlands community, Walsall was last year named the most deprived area in the UK according to the Demos-PwC ‘Good Growth for Cities Index’.
Over 40 per cent of young people access free school meals at Willenhall Academy. The breakfast club is run by volunteer staff and students, and partly funded by Magic Breakfast, while the school uses some of its pupil premium funding to purchase items like butter and hot drinks.
“We started serving breakfast because we had a lot of students that were arriving at school hungry,” says Andrea Wade, Head of Year 11. “These students were unable to concentrate in class and we started to get behaviour issues, especially coming up to lunchtime when they were particularly hungry.”
Head teacher Emma Clements says the club has been transformative. “Since we started the breakfast club, we’ve noticed a huge difference,” she says. “It has improved our attendance by five percent. We were recently recognised in the top 10 improved schools for attendance in the West Midlands.
“I think there’s an expectation that in secondary school children can fend for themselves, and that’s not necessarily the case. Some of our students would get up at 7am and then have absolutely nothing until 1:30pm. Now, student concentration in period one and two is significantly higher because they’ve eaten and they’ve got all the socialising out the way first thing in the morning.
Any pastoral issues are resolved and staff can check in with students at the breakfast club, it has really helped strengthen teacher and student relationships. Our kids are confident to come and say to us they haven’t had lunch or food today. We make sure nobody goes hungry.”
16-year-old Isabella, in Year 11, says she enjoys being one of the breakfast club volunteers. “I want to make sure those who can’t get breakfast at home, can eat here before lessons,” she says. “I come and set up and serve the bagels. Some people find it hard to learn in lessons when they don’t eat. Breakfast is a good start to your day. If I didn’t come to the breakfast club, I’d probably skip breakfast at home because I leave early to catch the bus.”
Collins also 16 and in year 11, says: “I get up early in the morning and come here for breakfast as it saves time. I enjoy the bagels with tea, carbohydrates provide energy throughout the day. Breakfast helps to enhance learning and improves your grades, otherwise if you’re hungry you can’t focus. I’m pleased to see the Government announce the new changes to school food because eating less sugar and fried food will increase life expectancy. If there is less junk food, less people will get obese.”
Aliyah, 11, year 7, says: “I don’t get a chance to eat breakfast at home because I have to leave early. I like bagels and tea. Breakfast boosts your energy and confidence. One of my friends was dozing off because she was tired.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “This government is giving free school meals to every single child from a household that are in receipt of Universal Credit – a historic step backed by over £1 billion in funding that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty.
“This is alongside rolling out free Breakfast Clubs to every primary school across the country – targeted at the most disadvantaged communities first – as well as removing the two-child limit which will contribute to expected largest reduction in child poverty in a parliament since records began.
“We have already confirmed that we will continue to provide funding through a grant to support secondary schools who are part of the National School Breakfast Programme for the next academic year.”
As Labour’s landmark ‘Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act’ comes into law with its aspiration for every child to have the opportunity to succeed, Magic Breakfast is calling for the government’s ambition for young people not to end at age 11. The charity says: “The government must commit to putting something in place so no child misses breakfast on the first day of term in September.”