MATHS GCSE TAKES PLACE ON WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE

NEARLY 18% OF YEAR 11s IN ENGLAND COULD BE WALKING INTO AN EXAM HALL HUNGRY

Shivi Ramtoura and Steph McGovern join Magic Breakfast in their mission to ensure no child is too hungry to learn.

Celebrity chef, Shivi Ramtoura, and TV journalist, author and presenter, Steph McGovern, have joined forces this month to support Magic Breakfast as it aims to ensure no child is too hungry to learn.

In England, of approximately 689,000 Year 11 pupils walking into an exam hall, over 123,000 of them could be hungry. These students are instantly at a disadvantage, not because they didn’t study but because they didn’t have breakfast.

Going without breakfast not only makes exams harder but can impact results. This is not just unfair – it's also avoidable. To help give every child a fair chance, both Shivi and Steph are joining Magic Breakfast to help children and young people at a time when futures are being formed.

Shivi has created brain boosting breakfasts, and Steph is encouraging the nation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTBNCuQTYE) to donate a £1 to help address the “mega stat” that children who often miss breakfast are more likely to achieve two grades less in their GCSEs.

Shivi is bringing the nation quick, brain-boosting recipes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXgx_lqY3Rk) to fuel exam success. She explains how to make Zap N Go Muffins, Banana Split (with a twist), and a Cookies & Cream Smoothie (packed with spinach and cauliflower).

Shiv said:“I am delighted to be supporting Magic Breakfast’s Fuel for Success Campaign. You need a good nutritious breakfast so you’re not walking out that door with a tummy that’s grumbling and a brain that is foggy. I want to help children and young people have the best start to the day to boost their mind and their mood. Hopefully my brain boosting Fuel for Success recipes will help set those doing exams up for the day ahead.”

Emily Wilke, Director of Fundraising and Development, at Magic Breakfast said: “We are on a mission to ensure no child is too hungry to learn. Right now, students are walking into exam halls at a disadvantage. Not because they didn’t study, but because they didn’t have breakfast. Our Fuel for Success campaign is about more than breakfast. It’s about giving every student a fair chance at a time when futures hang in the balance.

We’re excited to be working with Shivi on Fuel for Success. It is important to fuel our brains properly, especially during exam season so that they can function to the best of their ability, and it can even help with memory, which is important when trying to remember all that revision. The types of food we eat will affect how effectively we fuel our brains, so concentrating on slow-releasing energy carbohydrates (such as oats, wholewheat), vitamins and minerals (in fruits and vegetables), and protein (yoghurt, milk, eggs) is a great way start to the day and get ready for your exams.”

To get involved and help ensure every student has the fuel they need to learn, focus and succeed, you can:

- Donate just £1, either by visiting one of our partner restaurants or on our website, to fund 3 success-fuelling breakfasts

- Share Shivi’s incredible brain-boosting recipes with pupils and parents currently going through the exam season

- Join our movement pushing for government commitment to the secondary school students at risk of going without breakfast.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Please contact Kirsty MacLeod for further information - Kirsty.macleod@magicbreakfast.com - 07875 463 744

1. Department for Education. Schools, Pupils and Their Characteristics Academic Year 2023/24. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24 (2024).

2. Department for Work and Pensions. Households below Average Income: For Financial Years Ending 1995 to 2024.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2024 (2025).

About Magic Breakfast

Magic Breakfast is a registered charity that exists to make sure no child or young person is too hungry to learn. We provide nutritious breakfasts and expert support to primary, secondary, ASN/SEND schools and pupil referral units in disadvantaged areas of England and Scotland. Providing a daily school breakfast ensures that every child and young person feels included, equal and set up for success. Magic Breakfast works to be part of the solution to end child morning hunger for good through our campaigning, research and advocacy work with politicians and decision-makers.

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