Amazon supported Breakfast Club helps give Devon schoolchildren a healthy start to the day

Children at Broadhembury Church of England Primary School in Honiton welcomed the team from the local Amazon delivery station in Exeter to celebrate a new funding partnership for their Magic Breakfast club. The breakfast club founded by charity Magic Breakfast and now supported by Amazon will provide children at the school with a healthy breakfast and start to the day.

The breakfast club at Broadhembury Church of England Primary School is one of 77 schools across the UK to benefit from Amazon funding as part of the company’s ‘Amazon In The Community’ programme, which is focused on giving all children an equal chance at succeeding in today’s digital society.

The Amazon team paid a surprise visit to the school, rolling up their sleeves to help dish up a healthy breakfast of cereals, bagels, juice and milk to fuel pupils for the morning of learning ahead of them.

As well as a nutritious breakfast, Amazon’s support is providing a specialist member of Magic Breakfast staff to work with the school to help improve the breakfast provision.

Magic Breakfast’s founder and Chief Executive, Carmel McConnell, said: “We are delighted to be able to add Amazon to our list of generous corporate supporters. This help is urgently needed. If we as a country want to improve attainment and social mobility, it makes sense to grow the successful Magic Breakfast approach into a national school breakfast programme.”

Andy Webb, Amazon Delivery Station Operations Manager in Exeter, added: “A good primary education plays such an important role in helping kids build the skills and confidence they need to succeed in today’s increasingly high-skilled economy. Every child, regardless of background, should get an equal chance to excel at school. We’re delighted to be partnered with Broadhembury Church of England Primary School helping children at the school to get a healthy, nutritious breakfast to improve concentration, boost attendance, and ultimately help them learn a lot more.”

Katie Gray, Executive Headteacher at Broadhembury Church of England Primary School said: "Magic Breakfast provision is having a big impact on our school, with pupils enjoying time each morning to socialize, read and play board games before starting their lessons settled and ready to learn. Broadhembury Church of England Primary School is delighted to be one of the schools whose breakfast provision is supported by Amazon and we look forward to the opportunities this new partnership will bring to the whole school community".

Research by the Education Endowment Foundation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found a strong positive link between children eating a nutritious breakfast at school and pupil attainment. Amazon’s support for this initiative means that thousands more schoolchildren across Britain will see their life chances improved by being able to concentrate in class and perform better in their studies.

Amazon's pledge to fund one million breakfasts in the 2017-18 school year will benefit over 5,000 children in 77 schools located close to Amazon's offices and buildings across the country.