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Leeds school club celebrates national award success
A school club which gets Leeds pupils off to the best possible start every day has been voted the best in the country.
The Kool Klub breakfast club at Carr Manor High has taken the top spot in the National Breakfast Club Awards, and won a cash prize of 1,500.
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More than 40 students from diverse nationalities, from 11 to 18, attend each morning to benefit from a nutritious breakfast, plus a mix of physical and mind-stretching exercises, including karaoke, football, board games, charades, pool and cards.
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Teacher Andrea Thatcher said: "It was apparent that many of the children were going to bed late, getting up very tired and not having any breakfast before they arrived for school.
"This was affecting concentration, causing disruption in class and was therefore impacting all of the pupils at the school."
She added: "Since we set up Kool Klub, there has been a noticeable improvement in attendance and performance.
"Lots of our families live in deprived areas and life in the morning can be a little chaotic with breakfast rarely on offer.
"Kool Klub has provided a warm, safe and sociable environment for all of the children to get a healthy start to the day."
Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton presented the accolade.
The judges of the awards, supported by Kellogg's and learning charity ContinYou, were impressed with how the club's activities help students improve their social skills and develop group cohesion. And they found pupils with special educational needs particularly benefited from attending and receiving support from fellow pupils and adults.
Kwame Westerman, who manages the club, said: "There is huge variation in age and culture but all of the pupils have become friends.
"When you consider that there are 44 different first languages at the school, it is quite an achievement to bring everyone together and create the family feeling that we have."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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