Breakfast every day helps pupils

PUPILS who eat a healthy breakfast every day are more likely to perform better in school, research shows.

Those who start the day with cereal, bread, dairy or fruit were twice as likely to do well in tests, a Cardiff University study found. Having snacks such as crisps or sweets in the morning was no better than eating nothing at all, they said.

Researchers who asked 5,000 pupils aged nine to 11 from more than 100 primary schools found that youngsters who carried on eating fruit and vegetables at other times of the day also did better.

While academics have long linked morning meals to brain power, the Cardiff team said their large study indicated the ‘strongest evidence yet’. Dr Graham Moore said it did not matter whether pupils ate breakfast at home or during a school breakfast club. ‘The main thing is to make sure they have a breakfast,’ he added.