It's something mothers have seemingly known for years. Now a major new study has provided strong evidence that having a healthy breakfast really does set you up for the day. According to researchers at Cardiff University, pupils are twice as likely to achieve above-average results if they eat before school.The quality of the breakfast was also found to affect a child's academic success. Eating unhealthy items such as sweets and crisps for breakfast, which was reported by one in five, was found to have no positive impact on educational attainment.The study, published in the Public Health Nutrition journal, examined the links between the breakfast habits of 5000 nine- to 11-year-olds and their subsequent performance in tests.Pupils were asked to list all food and drink consumed over a period of just over 24 hours, which included two breakfasts. It was discovered pupils who ate a healthy breakfast - including cereals, breads and dairy products - were as much as twice as likely to achieve above-average test scores compared to those who did not.Hannah Littlecott of Cardiff University, the lead author of the study, said though eating breakfast has been associated with general health and improved concentration, "evidence regarding links to concrete educational outcomes has been unclear"."Clearly, embedding health improvements into the core business of the school might also deliver educational improvements." ..