Breakfast Can’t Wait
About the author
Ajemina Ogan is Campaigns Officer at Magic Breakfast.
Magic Breakfast makes a difference to over 300,000 children and young people every day by offering breakfasts and expert advice to tackle morning hunger in schools across England and Scotland. It exists to champion and provide nourishing breakfasts that help children and young people learn and thrive.
In October 2025, Magic Breakfast, a charity that provides nourishing breakfasts to more than 300,000 children and young people each school day, launched the next phase of our Breakfast Can’t Wait campaign. The campaign calls on the next Scottish Government to deliver universal breakfast provision in all primary, secondary, and Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools in Scotland, and to expand breakfast provision in early learning and childcare settings, starting with local authority nurseries.
You can support these asks by contacting your MSPs through Magic Breakfast’s online action page.
The urgency of this campaign stems from the reality that every day across Scotland, thousands of children and young people arrive at school without breakfast. Teachers see the effects in real time: pupils come in tired, distracted and unable to settle at the start of the school day. It is a barrier to learning that affects not just the individual, but the entire classroom environment.
Free school breakfasts offer a calm start to the morning. They ensure pupils begin the day nourished, helps them to settle, connect with friends and feel ready for the day ahead. Many children describe school breakfast as a time that helps them feel included and supported. One pupil told us:
I love coming to the breakfast club because it makes me feel welcome and I can talk to people. I don’t do that at home.
In 2021, the current Scottish Government committed to providing free school breakfasts for all primary and ASN pupils. While the recent launch of the Bright Start Breakfasts Fund marks a welcome first step, the current policy will not reach the majority of children in need of support.
In a recent independent poll, 63 percent of Scots said school breakfasts should be offered to pupils of all ages. Universal school breakfasts help protect children’s right to learn, reduces the effects of poverty on their school day and promotes educational equity by giving every pupil the same chance to begin the morning ready to learn.
Scotland is entering an important period. A new budget will soon be set, political parties are preparing their manifestos, and a national election will follow in May. Decisions made in the coming months will shape how young Scots are supported in education for years to come.
This is a critical opportunity to invest strategically in the learning and wellbeing of Scotland’s future generation.
How you can help
Join the Breakfast Can’t Wait Campaign and contact your MSPs through Magic Breakfast’s online action page to voice your support for universal school breakfast provision.
