Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of poor nutrition on educational attainment; and if he will make a statement.

It is important that children eat nutritious food at school to provide them with energy and nutrients to support their growth and development.

The department recognises that healthy breakfast clubs can play an important role in ensuring children have a healthy start to their day to enhance their learning potential. An independent evaluation by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, published by the Education Endowment Foundation, found that supporting schools to run a free of charge, universal breakfast club before school delivered an average of two months additional progress for pupils in key stage 1 with moderate to low security. A 2017 evaluation commissioned by the department also found that schools perceived important benefits from having a breakfast club, including improving concentration and behaviour in class.