One in six children go to school without any breakfast

Around one in six secondary school pupils are going without breakfast, a study suggests.

It raises concerns that skipping breakfast will leave youngsters struggling in lessons and more likely to become disruptive.

The findings are contained in a new report by LACA (Local Authority Caterers Association) and ParentPay, based on a survey of 10,000 UK parents.

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It shows that 15 per cent of secondary school pupils are going to school without breakfast – the equivalent of around four pupils in a class of 30. In primary schools the proportion is 3.9 per cent.

Girls are more likely to skip the meal than boys (13 per cent compared with 10.7 per cent).

It concludes: “Students going without breakfast cannot be at their best for learning during morning lessons and so can be less attentive and a disruption in class.”

The report, commissioned to mark National School Meals Week, also found that parents are taking a keen interest in what their child eats at school, but many are still wary of free school meals (FSM).

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Nearly nine in 10 (89.4 per cent) of parents questioned said their overall impression of a school meal was either good, or OK, while 80 per cent wanted more information about what their child had eaten for lunch.

Almost one in six (14.8 per cent) of parents with children eligible for free school meals said they did not take up this entitlement.

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