SEPTEMBER is almost upon us, and the nation's children have stopped complaining about being bored as a feeling of impending doom washes over them.

After weeks of freedom, they will soon be dragged back to school by deliriously happy parents.

The prospect of another year of learning and school dinners is enough to put any child off, but, if they can stomach it, a good breakfast is one of the simplest and most effective recipes for success in the classroom.

As our lifestyles become more stressful and hectic, more and more people are skipping breakfast on a regular basis. There are now 11 million breakfast-skippers in the UK - it's little wonder that cereal manufacturers Kellogg's are launching National Breakfast Week.

Skipping breakfast might save you time or allow you a few extra, precious minutes in bed, but it can put you on a slippery slope. The stress that causes many to miss breakfast will only get worse on an empty stomach.

As part of my painstaking research for Counterpoints, I limited myself to a cup of coffee and a yoghurt this morning before heading for work. I felt ready to die by 11am, and will be reverting to my tried and trusted morning meal of leftover curry and toast in future.

While it may be foolish for adults to miss the first meal of the day, it can be much more serious for children to go to school running on empty. Children of school age grow about two inches a year, so they need twice as much energy in relation to their body size as adults do.

Nutritionists have recently come to the conclusion that diet can have a major impact on a child's performance at school - so, before hiring a private tutor or confiscating the X-Box, you should make sure your under-performing offspring is eating properly.

A child who starts the day with a sensible, healthy breakfast can have higher levels of concentration during lessons and could be better prepared for exams if they are full of energy-providing carbohydrates.

As well as stimulating the brain, the morning refuelling is essential for good performance in games and sports, providing muscles with energy. A well-fed youngster will reap both physical and mental benefits.

In the long term, cereal and milk can help build strong bones and teeth by providing plenty of vitamin D and calcium, while a high-fibre breakfast can help the digestive tract.

Whatever you choose to eat, whether you plump for papaya and mango with grilled cheese like the Brazilians or opt for a more traditional combination of cereal and toast, you'll be in a better position to get through the day than your breakfast-dodging colleagues.

Nutritionists recommend that breakfast should provide 25 per cent of most of our nutritional needs. If you give it a miss, you're unlikely to make up for it during the rest of the day.

It's also believed that breakfast-eaters have healthier overall diets than those who go without, consuming less fat and more carbohydrate. They also experience a more positive mood, have less difficulty falling asleep and suffer less from stress.

Unsurprisingly, teenagers, who are renowned for having less than stable moods, are some of the greatest meal-skippers. A recent survey by the School Health Education Unit showed that 37 per cent of 14 to 15-year-old girls in this country left the house with nothing to eat in the morning.

As part of National Breakfast Week, which runs from Monday, September 2, to Sunday, September 8, Kellogg's has got together with eight experts to produce the Kellogg's SchoolSmart Pack.

The free booklet is packed with advice and tips for parents of the 10 million children starting or returning to school. It includes "Ten Top Tips on Eating for Success" by nutritionist Dr Kathryn O'Sullivan.

"I often get asked questions as a nutritionist about food that can help children perform their best at school," said Dr O'Sullivan.

"As a parent, I understand how hard it is to know where to look for the answers to all your questions.

"Food, and in particular a healthy breakfast, plays an important part in performance for children - aiding concentration, mood and energy levels - but there are obviously many other areas where parents can really make a difference.

"This pack provides a really helpful resource for parents with children of all ages."

The pack is available from Monday and can be obtained free by calling 0870 2406901, or by registering online at www.kelloggs.co.uk