Breakfast Clubs: A Yorkshire Based Review

The FixOurFood project aims to transform food systems to benefit population and planetary health, with a focus on regenerative farming, hybrid business models, early years and school settings (Doherty et al., 2022). It is made up of a consortium who are committed to learning, through a set of action-orientated interventions, one of which is prioritising dietary health in young people (Doherty et al., 2022). Key to this is a programme of research within school settings including primary schools with nurseries across Yorkshire. This report on school breakfast clubs is based on primary school observations within one of the FixOurFood projects, where researchers visit, observe and engage with staff and students through participatory research, leadership interviews and focus groups. It provides an understanding of how breakfast clubs are delivered, what sorts of foods are provided and the constraints and benefits of delivery.

Findings highlight the potential of breakfast clubs to provide a nutritious breakfast before the start of the school day, particularly for families who do not have the resources or the time to provide breakfast for their children. When delivered appropriately, they also provide opportunities to boost attainment and behaviour (Adolphus et al., 2013). Thus, the nutritional content of the foods provided is important. We learnt about the value of breakfast clubs to allow children to enjoy breakfast with their peers and create an environment with social and educational benefits. Importantly, through this work, our research highlights the importance of breakfast clubs to support working parents through the childcare provision.