Priory School Celebrates Breakfast with Plumpton College

Year 9 students from Lewes based school Priory visited Plumpton College on Tuesday [29^th January], to take part in the country’s biggest celebration of Breakfast – Shake up your wake up.
Staff and students started their visit with a farmhouse breakfast kindly supported by NFU South East (National Farmers Union), highlighting how breakfast is the most important meal of the day providing the energy needed for a busy school day. 

A tour around the College farm followed and students enjoyed seeing the dairy cows, calves, pigs, as well as viewing the milking parlour. Pupils discovered how milk is processed, from cow to carton, and heard how breakfast produce such as bacon and sausages reach our plates. Students said

It was great fun learning about food processes, and how breakfast is good for you” and “I enjoy breakfast every day, but the Plumpton sausages were amazing!

The visit is in aid of the national campaign ‘shake up your wake up’ organised by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds on behalf of UK cereal farmers and producers, who grow and make the foods we all enjoy at breakfast.

AHDB research shows that a worrying quarter (25%) of people are skipping breakfast once or more during the week, with more than one in ten (13%) never eating it. Eating breakfast also restores glucose levels, an essential carbohydrate that it needed for the brain to function. In studies amongst children, breakfast can improve attainment, behaviour and has been linked to improved grades.*

NFU South East spokeswomen Isobel Bretherton said:

We are delighted to support Plumpton College with its breakfast event for secondary school students. We hope that the students will have gained an invaluable insight into farming and the food chain and that some may now be considering a land-based career.

Plumpton College School Education Programme Coordinator Deborah Brickell said:

It is so important for young people to understand where our food comes from, and to highlight the impact a good breakfast can have on improving concentration and energy levels back in the classroom. There is a huge amount of science and technology involved in farming and bringing food to our plates and it’s fantastic to invite local students in to see the farm and range of careers available.

Plumpton College hosts a large number visits for primary and secondary schools throughout the year including the first ever Big Bang at Plumpton with STEMSussex coming this July. The college, which is in NFU membership, offers a wide range of curriculum linked visits including a series of STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) workshops for secondary schools that it hosts on campus.

For breakfast ideas, nutritional advice or to search for other events locally, visit www.shareupyourwakeup.com.