Students from the small regional South Australian town of Cambrai are being served up more than just an education.
School breakfasts are growing in popularity across the state with cost of living pressures taking a toll on many households.
It was something former Cambrai Primary School principal Michele Holloway was eager to address with a free and accessible breakfast club every morning.
"Over 70 per cent of our brain is focused on our basic needs, so if you're hungry or frightened or cold you can't focus on learning," she said.
"So making sure every child in that room is fed, is warm, feels safe, these are the basic things schools have to do for children before you can even start education."
The school is helped by the local store, parents, the wider community, and Foodbank SA to help fuel students' minds for the day ahead.
Staff and volunteers prepare the toasters, ready for the mad rush from the moment the first bus arrives until the morning bell rings.
"We actually take toast around to the classes as well, so anybody who missed breakfast club can still have breakfast," Ms Holloway said.
Lunchtime dilemma sparks food for thought
Looking beyond the first meal of the day, many learners are also heading to school without a nutritious lunch packed in their bags.
The school decided to fill the gap themselves by providing free ham and cheese toasties to students who needed them.
Ms Holloway said ensuring access to nutritious food had a flow-on effect academically, socially, emotionally and even in extra-curricular activities like sport.
"It's a whole wellbeing program really," she said.
Discussions around students' access to lunch have been sparked across the state after Flinders University research revealed 86 per cent of parents surveyed would support a school-provided model.
Of the respondents, 86 per cent of parents were interested in introducing school lunches, citing reasons such as convenience and food security.
"We know there are a lot of families that are doing it tough," senior author Professor Rebecca Golley said.
"We think there could be a better way to make sure kids are getting full bellies of nutritious food, which we know is so important to engage in their learning."
Ms Holloway said a program like this would be useful, but it was important that it was accessible to all students to avoid singling anyone out.
"They feel the stigma of it," she said.
"You have to make it a social time for the kids, and something they want to do, and something every child is involved in so the children who really need it are getting the support."
