Minister Treats School To Breakfast

13 September 2005
MINISTER TREATS SCHOOL TO BREAKFAST
Social Development Minister David Hanson launched a new breakfast club this morning at North Coast Integrated College in Coleraine.
The breakfast club, which has been supported with Ł29,000 of funding from the Department for Social Development, opened its doors this month and is putting to the test the old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
The Minister said: "Research has shown that if students start the day with a proper breakfast, the benefits can be seen in better concentration, better attendance and, ultimately, better academic attainment.
"When it found that up to 150 children regularly came to school without eating breakfast, the College decided that a breakfast club would bring many educational and health benefits for its pupils and it applied to the Department for funding under our Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy. We agreed that it was an excellent idea and we were pleased to be able to support it."
The Principal of North Coast Integrated College, Mr Jim Frizelle, commented: "Not everyone is able to eat a good breakfast in the morning, because of changed working patterns, family circumstances and a variety of other reasons. We hope that the breakfast club will be a great opportunity to extend the school day a little for those students who need it most, and that they will benefit from the early boost to energy levels which a healthy breakfast offers."
Mr Frizelle explained that the breakfast club is open to everyone attending the College and if a student receives free school meals, breakfast is also free.
"The more people who take advantage of this, the greater the overall benefit to learning", he said.
While in Coleraine, the Minister also visited the Ballysally and Churchlands areas of the town, two of the 32 Neighbourhood Renewal Areas established by the Department for Social Development across Northern Ireland.
In Ballysally, Mr Hanson was greeted by a musical performance from local children using instruments purchased with a grant of Ł7,000 from the Department's Local Community Fund. The Minister also officiated at the official opening of the new Ballysally Neighbourhood Office. In Churchlands, the Minister met members of the newly formed Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership and discussed the needs of the area with them.
The Minister also visited the Coleraine Jobs and Benefits Office where he had an opportunity to meet staff and customers. The Office has been refurbished over the past year and now offers a one-stop shop for jobseekers and people claiming benefits. It has a staff of 100 from both the Social Security Agency and the Department of Education and Learning.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Department has provided Ł29,606 from Phase 2 of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to North Coast Integrated College to assist in providing a Breakfast Club for the students.
2. The College is a grant maintained integrated secondary school with 520 pupils and a teaching staff of 40. The school is situated close to the deprived areas of Ballysally, which has been designated by the Department as a Neighbourhood Renewal Area and Harpur's Hill. It draws a significant proportion of its intake from Coleraine deprived communities.
3. The idea for the project arose from a survey carried out in the College which found that up to 150 children from the Neighbourhood Renewal Areas in Coleraine were regularly attending school without breakfast.
4. Educational research has proven that students who take a proper breakfast achieve more academically, have better attendance records and display better classroom behaviour. The project will also have health benefits since the breakfast club will be used to promote health awareness by providing healthy food options and encouraging good dietary practices.
6. For further information, contact Dara Cosgrove on 028 9082 9078.

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