CARR MANOR HIGH SCHOOL IS SNAP, CRACKLE AND TOPS!                                                                                                                                            Local MP Fabian Hamilton presented Carr Manor High School with a national award in recognition of the outstanding breakfast club that it provides for pupils. Carr Manor was chosen by judges of the National Breakfast Club Awards as the best club in England. The awards, which are supported by Kellogg’s and learning charity ContinYou, recognise the great breakfast clubs that take place across the UK, which give thousands of children the best possible start to the day.

Prior to the breakfast club opening, teachers at Carr Manor had become concerned at the lack of focus and increasing tiredness of pupils. Andrea Thatcher, from Carr Manor High School says’ “It was apparent that many of the children were going to bed late, getting up very tired and not having any breakfast before they arrived for school. This was affecting concentration, causing disruption in class and was therefore impacting all of the pupils at the school.”                                                                                                                          But since the ‘Kool Klub’ breakfast club was formed in 2003 the school has never looked back.

“Since we set up Kool Klub, there has been a noticeable improvement in attendance and performance. Lots of our families live in deprived areas and life in the morning can be a little chaotic with breakfast rarely on offer. Kool Klub has provided a warm, safe and sociable environment for all of the children to get a healthy start to the day,” added Andrea.

Kwame Westerman, who manages Kool Klub says’ “I’m proud of the supportive atmosphere at the club. There is huge variation in age and culture but all of the pupils have become friends. When you consider that there are 44 different first languages at the school, it is quite an achievement to bring everyone together and create the family feeling that we have.”

Research in 2009 revealed that children in the UK are spending £690m a year on a breakfast of sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks on the way to school. Since 1998, Kellogg’s has invested more than £1 million in helping ContinYou to develop and support breakfast club initiatives nationwide through the Breakfast Club Plus programme. Together, Kellogg’s and ContinYou have helped to set up hundreds of breakfast clubs across the UK, that serve well over 500,000 breakfasts every year.

Bruce Learner Corporate Responsibility Manager at Kellogg’s said: “Kool Klub really inspired the judges. Clearly loved by pupils, the club offers both a nutritious breakfast and somewhere safe for children to chill-out before the start of the school day, a real winner for everyone!”

Tony Apicella, National Programme Director from ContinYou says’ “The national awards have once again demonstrated the tremendous benefits that breakfast clubs bring to children, young people and families in our schools and communities across the UK. Breakfast Clubs, as a whole, make a huge contribution to the population’s healthy eating behaviours and these awards demonstrate and recognise their versatility, innovation and most important of all, what works well!”