UNIVERSAL free breakfast provision in schools removes the “stigma and embarrassment” for children most in need, a new study has found.
A report into “breakfast in the classroom” at an Inverness primary school was “overwhelmingly positive” about the initiative.
It came after the introduction of Breakfast For All, which made a simple morning meal of either cereal, toast, fruit or porridge available for free on a daily basis.
Researchers from the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (Spiru) at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) observed one week’s worth of breakfast-eating in class for all nine classes at Cauldeen Primary School, as well as interviewing teachers, staff and caterers at the school.
Teachers praised the initiative for not singling out those reliant on in-school food and recounted stories of providing breakfast and snacks to students in need on an informal basis, prior to its introduction.
Evidence from the children suggests around 10% of pupils would have gone hungry in the mornings without the breakfasts, and staff reported children were more focused before the morning break each day.
Spiru co-director professor John McKendrick said: “The consensus was the universal provision of breakfast reduced the stigma and embarrassment for hungry children.
“One of the most telling conclusions is that far from being a disruption to learning ... the experience of teachers was that Breakfast for All is an efficient way of dealing with morning hunger and ... enables children to engage more effectively in learning.”
Notably, researchers found little evidence pupils were over-eating.
Primary four pupils told researchers that “your brain doesn’t work the same” when hungry, while one parent said that it is “great because children who may not have breakfast at home won’t feel singled out”.
Robyn Hammond, headteacher of Cauldeen Primary, said: “Children know they will get something to eat at school, so they are not worried about sitting hungry until lunchtime.
“It is only a bit of toast, but it is a bit of toast that has a big impact. The benefits are social and emotional as well as physical.”
