'There's no magic bullet to solve issues but there's Magic Breakfast'

Some schools in Scotland, if Scottish Government stats suggest the pupil population is socially deprived enough, qualify for actual daily enchantment.  

There is of course no magic silver bullet when it comes to schools finding ways of tackling pervasive social issues – like poverty and mental health – that impact pupil wellbeing, attainment and ultimately the future quality of pupils’ lives. No magic silver bullet; but there is a Magic Breakfast. 

In reality, the supernatural spell of Magic Breakfast is only cast when teachers and dinner ladies are willing to do a little extra work – for free. I was one of those teachers. And what happened really was magical and inspirational. 

Something startling started to happen in that halcyon hour before the school bell signalled the end of recreational time and the beginning of another day’s lessons. Folk (me included) turned up earlier than normal. I found myself looking forward to Thursdays all week. Why? 

I looked forward to arriving that bit earlier to school and helping to set up breakfast cereal, bagels and diluting juice for any pupils who wanted to tuck into the most important meal of the day, together, with us. 

With their bellies filled, kids labelled ‘disruptive’, prone to bad behaviour (often fuelled by hunger and a lack of supportive adult interaction), became more settled, able to listen and learn. Other kids – not necessarily in need of charity or additional support in school – arranged to meet pals anyway over morning cornflakes. Folk were satiated.  

Pupils and staff were feeding a hunger for something more than just food. The togetherness that Magic Breakfast provided, the opportunity to be nourished and to nourish each other with our time, presence and support, created a space. 

I remember my third year boisterous boys at the time queuing for their jam-soaked bagels and revelling in that space that had been crafted out for us to share a ‘Good Morning’, maybe a giggle and to connect. 

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That, in my opinion, is why we all gave up this time voluntarily. We all wanted to connect. We had crafted a space where we all wanted to be, feeding each other and being fed.  

Everything we got for Magic Breakfast was delivered to the school by the charity. Our dinner ladies and teaching staff were willing to come in that wee bit earlier and do a wee bit of extra work. The dinner ladies put the bagels in the oven for us, and we collected the bagels and served them up to the pupils.

Pupils ended up taking ownership of it. It was our most challenging pupils in a classroom situation who really enjoyed volunteering and helping staff deliver breakfast to everyone else in the morning.

One of my colleagues soon noted that something else was vanishing amid all this magic: the dreaded mobile phones. We didn’t ban them or restrict their use but, somehow entirely naturally, we noticed they weren’t attached to every other teenager’s upper limbs. They were instead holding bagels, spoons and, best of all, conversations. 

The difference that something like a Magic Breakfast provides, in terms of facilitating a regular, curriculum-free space to allow for the nurturing of really strong relationships between pupils and their peers, and between pupils and staff, was remarkable.

They definitely saw measurable improvements in pupils’ attendance and, therefore, attainment. They were able to make some progress given that they were actually there.

Ultimately, it allows everyone in classrooms to get more out of lessons because there’s less disruption. There’s more cohesion between pupils and between staff, because we craft out that space for them to become comfortable with each other and to feel safe and supported.

Unfortunately, a lot of pupils don’t feel that way in Scottish schools. We get caught up in trying to achieve and trying to attain, when none of that is really possible until pupils feel safe. Magic Breakfast definitely allows for that feeling of safety to really be nurtured.

I remember the depute head who was running it at the time had gathered statistics and data on really at-risk levels, who weren’t only not attaining, but weren’t even in class. They weren’t even attending school previously because it was a real struggle for them to get up, ready and fed in the morning.

When their parents were made aware of the fact that the school were feeding them for free, they were there early in the morning and we were able to get them really settled by the time the learning actually started.

I read recently about an idea to provide all pupils with free breakfast in Scottish schools. I can’t but agree that an inclusive approach such as this, that mimics at least some of the wonder that I and colleagues witnessed with Magic Breakfast, would indeed positively impact pupil wellbeing, attainment and the development of crucial social skills.

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