Punctuality, attendance and attention levels in six Dublin junior and senior schools have improved dramatically as a result of something which should seem obvious, but has too long been neglected - a good, healthy breakfast.
The "breakfast clubs" run by the Northside School Meals Initiative are dishing out 95 loaves of bread, 22 lbs of butter, 385 lbs of bananas, 36 large boxes of cereals, 240 litres of milk, 960 yoghurts and 4,000 cartons of juice each week - not to mention the eight jars of chocolate spread, six jars of jam, two cases of oranges and two cases of breakfast bars.
Parents whose children will not eat breakfast at home have reported that they are eating breakfast at school.
This may be partly because the breakfast clubs also provide a social forum for the children, where they can meet and network with their friends in a calm, relaxed way, preparing them for the day's study ahead.
The agenda behind the pleasant breakfasts is to keep eight-to-15-year-olds from leaving school at 15 due to a lack of engagement. The breakfasts are seen as an effective bridge back to an engagement with school for children who may have been having problems around attendance or other issues.
The Government provides funding and support services under the National Development Plan through Area Development Management Ltd and the local Northside Partnership company, but according to Eoin Ryan, Minister with responsibility for local development, the project would not have worked without the support of teachers and parents, in particular.
St Vincent de Paul and Superquinn have also been supportive. Ryan sees the scheme as "an excellent example of community involvement backed by Government resources".
Similar breakfast clubs are run in Dublin, in Clondalkin and Rutland Street, and in Drogheda, Co Louth.
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