CHILDREN at a Bishop Auckland Primary School will be given a morning boost ahead of their SATs exams after a company decided to donate free breakfast cereal.

Kellogg’s have donated the free food to Year 6 pupils at St Andrew’s Primary School who attend the school’s morning breakfast club.

The school is one of more than 300 schools across the country to receive a week of free breakfasts to make sure Year 6 children get the best start to the day at exam time.

According to research by Kellogg’s, last year one in six children took their National Curriculum tests, known as SATs, without having breakfast and many children even said they were too nervous to eat.

According to the study, 36 per cent of teachers see children arriving at school hungry every day while 82 per cent of teachers say hunger and thirst leaves children in their class unable to concentrate, and 50 per cent claim hunger makes pupils more disruptive.

Headteacher, Andrea Norman, said: "It’s especially important during SATs week that children start the day with breakfast in a safe and supportive environment so they can do their very best in their exams.

“The donated cereal will help our breakfast club open its doors, for free, to all Year 6 students so they aren’t going into their exams hungry and unable to concentrate.”