Ximena Castillo

Magic Breakfast

Magic Breakfast is a registered charity in England and Scotland. The charity focuses on reaching children in disadvantaged areas of the UK, forming partnerships with schools to ensure all their pupils at risk of hunger have access to a healthy meal, without barrier or stigma, at the start of the school day. Magic Breakfast provides the expertise and food – including low sugar cereals, porridge and bagels, all complying with School Food Standards - schools provide the facilities and staff. The charity was established in 2003 by Carmel McConnell MBE in response to 5 head teachers telling her that the biggest obstacle to them being able to teach was hunger among their pupils. Today, we are offering breakfasts to around 200,000 children in primary, secondary, SEN/ALS schools and pupil referral units. School breakfast provision has been shown to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged children. Independent research by the Education Endowment Foundation and Institute for Fiscal Studies, found that children in Yr2 who were offered a free, nutritious Magic Breakfast boosted their reading, writing and maths results by an average of two months' progress over the course of a year. A study, published in Feb 2021 by Pro Bono Economics, Magic Breakfast and Heinz, found that providing disadvantaged pupils completing KS1/Primary 3 with a year's supply of school breakfast provision could generate long-term economic benefits in excess of £9,000 per child. "These kids only have one chance at childhood, and one chance at education. Education is going to be their best way out of poverty. By feeding and valuing them, Magic Breakfast makes a practical difference to these children every single day." Quote from the Head of Extended Hours, De Bohun Primary School, London.