Breakfast clubs

Dr Sandercock in that Guardian article does have a point but I think parents need children to get breakfast at school for lots of different and often pretty valid reasons. The important thing is that kids do in fact have breakfast! Does it really matter if they get it at school??

There's a big pile of ETC magazines in the office and I noticed in one (Issue 9, June 2008) there's an interview with Dr Sarah Aitken, Consultant Lead in Communities and Families at the National Public Health Service for Wales. This is what she says about the role of schools in keeping children healthy, particularly about feeding them:

 ‘… looking at groups of children in “persistent poverty” – take for example, their breakfast at school, morning snack and school lunch – in one school day, you can provide a huge proportion of a child’s nutritional needs, so the message that lands on the dinner plates [at home] doesn’t matter quite so much. But with all the health improvement messages, evidence consistently shows, whether it’s food, fitness, smoking – and it’s the same for them all – you need a multifaceted, co-ordinated approach across the school.’

So yes, I reckon we need to keep on offering breakfast clubs in schools and definitely to children in disadvantaged areas. But there's also a need to keep working on ways to connect with parents who might be finding it difficult to provide their children with regular meals.

""""Linking extra services and activity to boosting attainment is the name of the game now. So, studies like this give us all a wider, national baseline to work from...""""

hi Jenny - thanks for starting this forum! I found this study, which people could also draw on when making their arguments for the benefits of breakfast clubs: it's the Longitudinal study of skipping breakfast and weight change in adolescents published in 2003 in the International Journal of Obesity (Issue 27), which showed some similar results. Here's the abstract. (Just a quick reminder though - remember to reference the abstract carefully if you refer to it in a funding bid - and preferably, get hold of the whole reserach report, if you can.).

...............The article itself doesn't differentiate as to whether or not those children who left home without breakfast actually went on to have breakfast either formally, within a breakfast club, or informally on the move -

 

Hi Tony, you don't happen to have a copy of the actual research paper that Gavin Sandcock was involved in? I looked on the European Journal of CLinical Nutrition website and couldn't see anything there. It would be good to look at the original because as you say the article doesn't make the distinction you've pointed out. I'm trying to imagine what actually happens....perhaps even kids who leave home without breakfast gobbling down junk food on the run, might still go to the breakfast clubs and get some good nutritiion at least.  So fair point ... Also, if schools want to refer to research in funding bids, they need to go to the original sources.

Breakfast clubs can bring the Big Society to life: Alan Mak, trustee of Magic Breakfast, argues that the Big Society will be defined by practical examples of engaged communities and charities - and where better than in breakfast clubs?
Visit The Disraeli Room at ResPublica to read Alan Mak's blog. 

The website relating to the School and Community Breakfast Clubs Conference (http://www.breakfastclubsummit.org/resources.html) which took place in November has now been updated.  There is some very useful footage from the conference on the site including footage from the question time event, which took place on the evening of 8th Nov. One of the questions posed during this session was about breakfast clubs for adolescents.  I am wondering whether anyone has any thoughts and/or experiences with breakfast clubs in secondary schools? Are they useful for getting teenagers to eat a healthy breakfast or are they used as more of a social meeting place or both? What kind of challenges are faced when running and sustaining breakfast clubs for this age group?

We run a breakfast club at our secondary school in Hackney. Anecdotal evidence (presented very strongly by the teachers) demonstrates that the children benefit massively; increased concentration, improved behaviour etc. Yes, there is a social aspect but that is a good thing. The children experience a relaxed breakfast with their peers, we supply the newspapers and encourage dialogue about current issues. Last minute homework tweaking occurs and a friendly chat with teachers wandering in to get their breakfast creates a pleasant start to the day before the rushing to lessons and hard work starts. Funding is always an issue with many requests met with the reply that only primaries are funded.

I am wondering whether anyone has any thoughts and/or experiences with breakfast clubs in secondary schools? Are they useful for getting teenagers to eat a healthy breakfast or are they used as more of a social meeting place or both? What kind of challenges are faced when running and sustaining breakfast clubs for this age group?

 

Hi Pamela - I know there is an article that was published by the ETC magazine a while back about that very issue.I'll try and dig it out for this forum.

Hello,

A secondary school in Brighton, Patcham High is just setting up a breakfast club - here is the info that was in their newsletter about it and uses the research that other people have mentioned to illustrate the importance of eating breakfast and linking it to achieving good GCSE results.  Has anyone else got other examples?

The Importance of Breakfast:   In a study conducted by Harvard, researchers showed that pupils who ate breakfast before
school were more attentive in lessons than pupils who didn’t. The researchers showed that eating breakfast every day can help you earn higher grades at GCSE level because it makes it easier to focus, allowing you to take more information in. With the results of the study in mind, Patcham High now has a breakfast club. The breakfast club runs from 8:00am in the morning till 8:30am on the first bell before the first bell before the start of school. The club sells hot drinks such as: hot chocolate, tea and coffee, as well as food, such as bacon rolls, sausage rolls, toast and cereals. So if you want to achieve the best results you can come and join us at breakfast club.

By Shelby Jones Yr 9

Hi Alison this is really great to hear that your new breakfast club is already demonstrating a difference to some of the pupils in your school - well done to you and your collegues. I remember discussing with you at the Breakfast Club workshop in London, back in November, what you were hoping to do. I am so pleased that the ContinYou training and the grant from Kellogg's is helping to make a difference, it is fantastic to get this great feedback.

I would like to hear from more of you who run Breakfast Clubs, new and established, as I would love to gather some the fantastic work that you achieve for the young people in your schools and community setting. Just post your good news stories - or even how you have overcome some of the challenges you faced -  right here.

Hello Simon - welcome to the Learning Exchange! Have a look at this article: Teenagers eat breakfast too - it's in the Library under Addressing health issues.

It's not always that straightforward setting up breakfast clubs for secondary school pupils - and most breakfast club experience seem to be based on what happens in primary schools, which seems strange. However, this article outlines some good reasons for offering breakfast clubs to teenagers, which could help justify what you want to do, and it also offers some tips.

I'll also put out the request in the e-newsletter so other members will, hopefully, pick up on it. Have a good day!
Paddy

Thank you so much Paddy.  The article gives me an excellent starting point on which to base my proposal.  Any more suggestions will be greatly received!