What’s for Breakfast?

Students from Leeds University – in their own words

This report is based on surveys of children and young people like us, as well as their parents and caregivers. It’s a chance for us to share our experiences and tell our own stories. It’s also a chance for researchers and policymakers to listen to them. 

We are students at Leeds City Academy. Some of us attend our school’s Magic Breakfast club every morning, while some of us eat at home or only attend the club every so often. Some of us eat a big meal early in the morning, while others are not hungry until later in the day. But all of us, no matter our circumstances, are united by a simple fact: we know the impact that hunger has in our school.

Earlier this year, students from our class met with staff at Magic Breakfast to talk about these findings.

We were surprised to hear just how many secondary students across the country don’t eat breakfast each morning. Even those of us who don’t always eat breakfast ourselves didn’t realise how common this was among other young people. We’ve always been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we all agreed that all students should be supported in eating a healthy breakfast, and that no student should be unable to access breakfast if they want it.   It’s important that policy that directly impacts us reflects our own experiences, views, and feelings. Many of us were surprised to be included in this research but at the same time were really pleased to have our voices heard. It was a great experience, and we look forward to continuing our work with Magic Breakfast to make our voices heard, and we hope that in reading this report, you will understand our experiences better.