Bristol school tracks student lunch habits in a bid to improve attendance
King’s Academy has found a clear connection between what pupils eat and academic performance
King's Academy in Bristol has started to track it's pupils' lunch boxes to see if it makes a difference to academic performance and attendance.
Staff at the school in Kingswood began to notice a connection between poor lunch quality and students leaving school early.
They then began to track every student who reported to reception that they wanted to go home, and what they had for dinner.
It soon became clear to staff that students who had a poor diet or missed lunch entirely, tended to have poor attendance rates.
"Children weren't recognising the signs of hunger and hydration and therefore reporting not feeling well, so we decided to go to the root cause and address that," said Principal Catherine Ogden.
The school has since started to contact the parents of children failing to get the nutrition they need at lunchtime.
Working with families to improve lunch quality has already resulted in better attendance rates in the afternoon.
"We've seen a significant reduction in the number of children wanting to go home," said Principal Ogden.
"We can see that those who have access to a proper meal are far more alert after the break.
"Our teachers often comment on improved concentration and improved behavioural issues.
"I think it's quite simple but it's a powerful link - when children are well fed, they're better able to learn."