No child should start the school day without a nutritious breakfast and an investment of just €1.8 million by the Government could ensure that the most vulnerable children in the country get a good breakfast at school every day, according to a new report.

The report, Supporting the Development of Breakfast Clubs, was undertaken by Healthy Food For All, a charity that aims to reduce food poverty. It found that where breakfast clubs were introduced, attendance, punctuality, participation and energy levels in class had all greatly improved.

"No child should start school without a nutritious breakfast. Breakfast clubs that provide a nutritious start to young children are the smartest small investment we can make in ensuring a healthier next generation. It's the ultimate seed funding and what's better is that it will give you a guaranteed return," commented Sinead Keegan of Healthy Food For All, who was one of the authors of the report.

The School Meals Programme received €37 million in last year's budget and according to the charity, a 5% increase on this figure, which amounts to €1.8 million, could be spent on providing breakfasts in all DEIS (disadvantaged) schools in the country.

"We are asking the Government to put the nutritional needs of vulnerable children first when they are deciding on how they are going to allocate Budget 2015. It's a small amount at stake but the returns are priceless," Ms Keegan insisted.

The report contained details of a pilot programme of breakfast clubs that involved four primary schools in north Dublin between January 2013 and June 2014. One of the schools that took part was St Catherine's Infant School in Cabra.

The breakfast club there ran from 8.15am to 8.45am every day and up to 15 children attended each morning. Food available included cereals, toast, fruit and fruit juice. Children were regularly encouraged to try new foods.

Teachers reported that the children who attended these clubs recorded improvements in their participation and concentration levels. The teachers also pointed out that children were ‘ready to start right at the beginning of class' and some said they had fewer disruptions in their classrooms.

The report noted that all of the breakfast clubs proved to be important social outlets for the children because they had to learn to interact with others and eat as a group. Co-ordinators also said that children were more likely to talk about personal issues during this time, making the clubs an ideal place to identify additional supports that a child might need.

The charity is calling for money to be prioritsed in Budget 2015 to allow the expansion of breakfast clubs to all vulnerable children. It is also calling for €500,000 to be allocated from the Department of Education's infrastructural fund, so that schools can develop space for these clubs.