Falkirk Council: Dishing up breakfast is helping Camelon pupils improve their reading skills

Children in Easter Carmuirs Primary School in Camelon prepare and then eat cereal, toast and fruit together from 8.55am-9.25am every morning.

Members of Falkirk Council’s Scrutiny Committee heard recently that the pilot had started in 2022, thanks to funding from the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF).

The Scottish Government funding – £1250 per pupil in receipt of free school meals – is given to schools in a bid to close the poverty-related attainment gap and funding is secure until 2026.

With 94 per cent of its pupils in the top 20 per of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), a survey at Easter Carmuirs Primary had shown that 78 per cent of pupils were not eating a substantive breakfast.

A pilot study found that preparing then eating a “family style breakfast contributed significantly to an increase in engagement in learning and positive peer/staff relationships”.

Setting up the breakfast scheme took 12 per cent of the school’s PEF money in the first year and just six per cent the next, as the equipment costs were already covered.

However, according to a report to Falkirk Council’s Scrutiny Committee, the headteacher felt it contributed most to a rise in attainment – particularly in literacy – that has been noticed.

Literacy scores for Easter Carmuirs Primary are now at 85 per cent overall and 90 per cent for reading, which compares to other local schools with a similar demographic profile, where literacy rates are 69.5 per cent and reading rates 62.1 per cent.

Members heard: “The impact is not just that children are all fed, it’s that they build on the strength of the community, deepen relationships and trust, increase care and compassion for one another and everyone starts the day on an equal footing.”

The school is focused on building relationships with pupils and families and creating a warm and welcoming environment in the school.

Pupils are now encouraged to use teachers’ first names instead of their last names, a change that “has made one of the biggest impacts”, according to the report.

Councillors were told that Falkirk schools will receive £4,962,315 each year until 2025/2026 and this “will make a significant difference to pupils”.

However, the calculation for PEF cash is based on data from 2018, so members were warned that it does not reflect fully how poverty has grown across Falkirk as a result of the cost of living crisis, in particular for the working poor.

The PEF funding has also been used to increase staffing support in schools, which includes teachers and family support officers, support assistants and early years practitioners as well as additional services to improve wellbeing.

Another success story highlighted came from Braes High School, which has seen some great results for pupils from its ‘Onwards and Upwards Project’.

Part of that involved a working group of staff and pupils who created an action plan to reduce the cost of going to school for pupils.

Initiatives in the school include having ‘take what you need trollies’ for pupils to help themselves to things such as pens, pencils, snacks and toiletries; a Braes Pantry that has food for families who are struggling; back backs filled with essentials for S1 pupils; and free pop-up shops, with uniform, sports gear and even prom dresses.

The results have been very impressive.

At level 4, 100 per cent pupils passed Literacy and Numeracy, compared with 70 per cent at similar schools throughout Scotland.

At level 5, 92 per cent of pupils passed Literacy (compared with 42 per cent nationally) and 50 per cent passed Numeracy, compared with 31 per cent in similar schools nationally.

Councillor Brian McCabe asked if the breakfast scheme would be rolled out across the area.

Education support officer Gayle Martin said they did not want to be prescriptive but the service will “share these good stories”.

She added other schools are currently looking at how the scheme has been working in Easter Carmuirs

She said: “What we are asking schools is to consider their own communities and their pupils’ needs and, maybe, this could be a way.”