Kellogg's survey: breakfast club demand rising as schools struggle with staffing

Mixed · 2A survey of 2,000 parents of primary school children found that nearly half would struggle to get to work on time without school breakfast clubs. 1 2 Mixed · 235% of those parents said they would need to cut their working hours or ask their employer for more flexibility if clubs were unavailable, and 43% said their absence would add significant pressure to the morning routine. 1 2 Mixed · 2Among 1,000 primary school teachers surveyed, 73% said demand for breakfast clubs had increased over the past five years, only one in five thought they could expand their club to meet it, and 71% did not believe enough children have the access they need. 1 2

Mixed · 2The research was commissioned by Kellogg's, which is marking 15 years of its Breakfast Club Awards; winning schools receive a £1,000 cash grant and are invited to a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament in November. 1 2 Mixed · 2Of teachers who had applied for or won a grant over those 15 years, 96% reported improved pupil concentration, 94% better punctuality and 93% positive effects on children's ability to make friends and socialise. 1 2 Mixed · 2Half of teachers are involved in delivering breakfast clubs, spending three to five hours a week on them; 46% said friends and family volunteer, and a third said pupils' parents help. 1 2

Mixed · 2Staffing shortages were cited as one of the biggest barriers to expansion (27%), alongside lack of dining space (24%) and lack of equipment (19%), and one in seven teachers said capacity could shrink or their club could close within one to three years without extra support. 1 2 Mixed · 2Dean O'Brien, UK general manager at Kellogg's, said the company has supported school breakfast clubs for nearly 30 years and that, with many families facing cost pressures, they are "more important than ever". 1 2