Magic Breakfast

Magic Breakfast was registered in England in 2003 and in March 2018 it launched in Scotland, bringing the total number of schools it supports to 480.

Every school day it provides more than 48,000 vulnerable children with 'fuel for learning' - which helps them to reach their full academic potential. A hungry child cannot concentrate, is more likely to be restless, unhappy, lethargic, distracted or disruptive in lessons, making them at risk of missing out on up to four hours of vital learning each morning. Each breakfast unlocks these four hours of life-changing education.

Magic Breakfast provision varies in format depending on the facilities available. Many schoolchildren enjoy playground bagels as they arrive, others tuck into porridge in the school hall. Some Magic Breakfast clubs enable children and their families to eat together and talk - to make friends and engage with one another in a relaxed, non-stigmatising environment. Schools may offer games, art and play alongside the breakfast provision which helps with learning and facilitates this socialising process.

The concept is simple but the impact is huge.

An independent study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found a strong positive link between the Magic Breakfast model and pupil attainment - showing that pupils in schools who worked with the charity were given a two-month educational advantage over the course of one academic year, with improvements specifically in reading, writing and mathematics. Alongside educational attainment Magic Breakfast has seen students' general behaviour improve, raised levels of concentration and alertness, together with positive impacts made on punctuality and social skills.

For more information, visit their website www.magicbreakfast.com. To help support their work, sign up to play People's Postcode Lottery.