National School Breakfast Programme
AYLESHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL JOINS THE NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMME
Pupils offered a healthy breakfast at school to ensure they are settled and ready to learn
14th January 2019: Aylesham Primary School is proud to have signed up to the new National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP), funded by the Department for Education and delivered by the charities Family Action and Magic Breakfast.
Schools in disadvantaged areas that either have no existing breakfast provision or breakfast provision where there is scope for improvement are being urged to find out if they are also eligible for NSBP support. There is funding available for breakfast provision in over 1,770 schools - primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units (PRUs).
Most schools that are eligible receive free, healthy breakfast food delivered direct to the door for four terms. There is also support from a dedicated member of NSBP staff, with the local contact being Emma Wiles, a detailed resource pack, best practice events, and a £500 start-up grant to buy necessary equipment, in Aylesham’s case a new chest freezer to store the bagels.
A healthy breakfast can provide children with the energy and nutrients they need to thrive; increasing alertness, improving behaviour and giving them the motivation to learn. Research, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation and carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, found that Y2 pupils in schools providing a free, nutritious breakfast boosted their reading, writing and maths by an average of 2 months’ progress per year, compared to pupils in schools with no such breakfast provision.
Kara Satterley, Deputy Headteacher at Aylesham Primary School, said: “We are excited to see the benefits of being able to offer everyone a healthy breakfast before lessons, with children now socialising, exercising and eating a healthy bagel before school they will be settled and ready to learn in their classes. We are delighted to have signed up to the National School Breakfast Programme”.
David Holmes CBE, Chief Executive of Family Action, said: “Breakfast provision plays a key role in ensuring children have a healthy start to their day. Family Action is delighted to be working with the Department for Education and Magic Breakfast on this ground-breaking programme – changing lives and life chances by preventing thousands of children from being too hungry to learn”.
Carmel McConnell MBE, Founder of Magic Breakfast, said: “Magic Breakfast is delighted to work alongside the Department for Education and Family Action to deliver this programme. Crucially it will ensure a nutritious breakfast reaches many more thousands of hungry schoolchildren, unlocking up to four hours of learning each morning to support their education. This is an excellent investment in these children and in the future of this country”.
Schools in disadvantaged areas can find out if they are eligible for support via the National School Breakfast Programme by filling out an Expression of Interest form via the Family Action website [www.family-action.org.uk/breakfast] then emailing the form to nsbp@family-action.org.uk
For further information, case studies and interviews please contact:
Tim Simpson | Best Practice and Sustainability Lead | National School Breakfast Programme
Email: Tim.Simpson@family-action.org.uk | Tel: 07827 938966
Sophia Dettmer | Senior Communications Manager | Magic Breakfast
Email: Sophia@magicbreakfast.com | Tel: 07399 553154
Notes to Editors
About Family Action
Family Action is a charity committed to building stronger families and brighter lives by delivering innovative and effective services and support that reaches out to many of the UK’s most vulnerable people. The charity seeks to empower people and communities to address their issues and challenges through practical, financial and emotional help.
Family Action’s work is wide-ranging and includes help for parents-to-be, the provision of many Children’s Centres in local communities, intensive family support, emotional health and wellbeing services, counselling, mediation and therapies, support in schools and financial grants programmes. Family Action is also recognised as a leading provider of training.
Registered Charity Number: 264 713
Website: www.family-action.org.uk |Twitter: @family_action | Facebook: Family Action
About Magic Breakfast
Magic Breakfast is a charity providing healthy breakfasts to more than 40,000 children in the UK who arrive at school too hungry to learn. The charity focuses on reaching children in disadvantaged areas of the UK, forming partnerships with schools and working with them to ensure the most vulnerable children have access to a healthy meal, without barrier or stigma, at the start of the school day. Magic Breakfast works with 480 schools - primary, secondary, SEN/ALS, and pupil referral units in England and Scotland, and is assessing need for its services in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Magic Breakfast was established in 2003 by Carmel McConnell MBE in response to headteachers telling her that the biggest obstacle to them being able to teach was hunger among their pupils who, as a consequence, were unable to concentrate in their morning lessons.
Registered Charity Numbers: 1102510 in England and SC048202 in Scotland.
Website: www.magicbreakfast.com | Twitter: @Magic_Breakfast | Facebook: magicbreakfastuk