He does so every Tuesday and Thursday, making sure that up to 30 pupils have their cereal, toast and orange juice served - sometimes by members of staff - to the standard set in training at Reid Kerr College.

The breakfast club has been running two days per week for the past 18 months. Ferguslie Primary headteacher Mary Taylor, who used to make the porridge, says: “I have seen many initiatives come and go in nearly 12 years here, but this isn’t one of them.

“There are so many benefits in terms of social skills, healthy eating and attendance. It was set up to target particular children who were often late or absent because of circumstances at home. Now I can track changes in attitude in some of the P7 boys which transfer into their classroom behaviour and therefore into their work.”

The club was first developed by a new community school home link worker and local sponsorship for the initiative was sought. The Co-op provides bread and juice while the Milk Marketing Board provided a milk machine.

Reid Kerr College offered to train youngsters in table service, hygiene and food handling. Also, pupils and parents were invited to the college’s training restaurant for lunch and experienced ordering a three course meal from an ... la carte menu, silver service, a tour of the training kitchens and a chat with the catering students.

Some parents and carers even opted into a 10-week cookery session after school and worked with a tutor to produce a range of healthy meals and snacks.

Parental involvement in the breakfast club has included buying crockery, table covers and a dishwasher as well as doing the odd spot of cooking and waiting.

“Our classroom assistant and link worker are part of the club, but otherwise we depend heavily on parents to make it work,” says Mrs Taylor.

“Some years ago I brought in breakfast but parents weren’t involved in the process so it petered out. I’d rather have two successful days than run it for five and see it fall away.”

The pupils have a nine-strong committee which shares the responsibility of checking and buying stock, carrying out registration, cash handling and reconciliation. They discuss budgets and take corporate decisions, such as removing sugar from the tables to promote healthy eating.

Marjorie Munro, integration co-ordinator for Renfrewshire Council, says:

“The power behind the development is that so many things come together, about healthy eating, citizenship, self-esteem, personality and social development, transferable skills and collaborative working.”