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UK Primary school children in deprived areas get free school lunches

Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
Posted on: 3rd September 2009

- New healthy standards introduced in secondary schools -

All primary school children in two areas will from today get a free, healthy lunch every day throughout the school year as part of the Government’s action to reduce childhood obesity and improve the health of all children.

All secondary school pupils eating school lunches will also from today get a healthy, nutritionally balanced meal including lots of vegetables, salad and fruit as the new nutrient standards come into force in secondary and special schools.

Both measures are designed to get all children developing healthy eating habits, so that they are encouraged to eat school meals from a young age throughout their school life and are not tempted to eat junk food when they reach secondary school.

The start of the free school meal pilots in Newham and County Durham comes a week after new research by the School Food Trust (SFT) finds that one in five parents on low incomes are not checking if they are eligible for free school meals. In Wolverhampton more children at both primary and secondary schools will be entitled to free school meals this year.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls said:

“Eating a nutritious meal at lunchtime from a young age can help improve the behaviour of children in school and at home – that’s why these pilots are so important. Healthy school meals are vital to helping children do well at school and to prevent obesity.

“I encourage all families who are entitled to a free school meal to claim this valuable support. For those who are not eligible school meals are still a great deal and give parents good value for money. We know from recent research by the School Food Trust that parents with two children could save over £1,000 in a school year if they chose school meals – as well as the reassurance that their children are eating good quality, healthy food.

“We want to make sure that children are getting a healthy, balanced meal at school which is why we have introduced the new nutrient standards. Teenagers are the hardest group to reach but that doesn’t mean giving up, we must simply work harder to encourage them away from the take-away and into their school canteen. The Government is creating a legacy of healthy eating in children from a young age so by the time they reach secondary school they are more likely to want to eat a school meal.”

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health said:

“Obesity is the biggest health challenge this country faces. There are currently 1.5 million children who are overweight or obese, leaving them at an increased risk of developing conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease later in life.

“Nutritious school lunches can make eating well a healthy habit for life. The measures announced today are an important part of our work to tackle childhood obesity, alongside the national Change4Life movement and our new ambition to move from ‘relegation candidates to play-off contenders’ in the international physical activity league tables.”

Last week the SFT launched their new campaign ‘Bringing down the Barriers’ that will target pupils and parents to show them how much money they can save per year if they claim their free school meal, which is especially vital in the current economic climate. The campaign will also continue to work with schools to make sure they don’t stigmatise children on FSM, for example, 34 local authorities are using the £100 million government funding for dining rooms and kitchens to install swipe card systems so that FSM pupils cannot be identified.

Judy Hargadon, Chief Executive of the School Food Trust said:

“The nutrient standards are key to ensuring all children have access to a healthy and nutritious lunch at school but they will only be beneficial if children take up the meals on offer. Recent research highlights that there could be as many as 300,000 children currently missing out on the opportunity of a free school meal. Reasons behind this are complex, but parents tell us that stigma and not knowing whether they are eligible or not can put them off signing up.

“We are working with schools and Local Authorities to promote free school meals and make sure parents have all the information they need in order to claim them. As the recession bites and unemployment rises, families will want to be making all the savings they can so we would urge any parent to check with their school or local council and if entitled, start claiming this great benefit for their children.”

Over 5,000 schools – nearly a quarter of all schools – are now benefitting from the School Food Trust’s Million Meals campaign with helpful resources to encourage pupils to eat a healthy school meal. Secondary schools that have trialled the new nutritional standards and made good use of the resources have seen significant increases in the number of pupils eating a school meal which shows that pupils won’t be put off by the new meals. Schools that use inventive ideas, like cooking clubs and inviting families to join pupils for lunch, have seen take-up of school meals increase.

Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales said:

“Everyone knows how important school meals are and here in Newham we pride ourselves in having some of the best. This pilot means we can make a huge difference to the lives of our pupils and our families, particularly those on the breadline. We are one of the country’s poorest boroughs and many families have felt extra pressure on their budgets during the recession. This is a great way of both putting money in their pockets and of improving children’s health and fitness – one of our top priorities – to boot. We are with them every step of the way.”

Editor’s Notes
This press notice relates to ‘England’

1. Nutrient based standards came into effect in primary schools in September 2008 and come into effect in secondary and special schools today. An average school lunch must include at least one portion of vegetable or salad and one portion of fruit, and also restricted amounts of fat, sugar and salt and minimum levels of nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins. An average school lunch, rather than every lunch consumed, must meet the nutrient-based standards because some pupils will need to eat more than others depending on age, body size, metabolism and physical activity.

2. The FSM pilots are joint funded, with a total of £20 million from Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Health and this money is being matched by the successful local authorities.

3. The pilots were announced on 24 September 2008. Durham and Newham will provide free school meals to all primary school children and Wolverhampton will pilot an extension of the current eligibility criteria, for primary and secondary pupils, to parents who are claiming working tax credits and are earning less than £16,040 a year. This is to test out if the Government’s current definition of FSM is right.

4. The pilots will run for two years from September 2009. We will be testing each pilot against a control group where the current rules for eligibility for FSMs apply, to inform the full evaluation.

5. The pilots will investigate whether free school meals:

• reduce obesity/have an impact on a child’s BMI;

• change eating habits at home;

• impact on behaviour and academic performance at school;

• improve school standards; and

• improve general health and well being.

6. 15.9 per cent of primary pupils (658,910 pupils) and 13.1 per cent of secondary pupils (429,700) are known to be eligible for Free School Meals (FSMs), based on current rules – income support, income based job seekers allowance, child tax credits (where annual incomes do no exceed £16,040),Income Related Employment Support Allowance, guaranteed element of state pension credit or a letter of support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999). 82 per cent (544,370 pupils) of those primary pupils eligible for FSMs take up their entitlement and 72 per cent (314,630 pupils) of eligible secondary pupils.

7. The School Food Trust’s FSM research can be found at http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk It shows that parents who don’t opt for school meals for their child give them more money each day to buy food at lunchtime than the cost of the average school meal.

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