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Welcome to a special edition of Information Update!
More families choose healthy school meals – despite tightening belts
Heard today's breaking news? The number of children eating healthy school meals in England has climbed for the third year in a row – with more than three million children now having a school lunch every day.
The results published today by the School Food Trust and LACA show that an average of 44.1 per cent of children in primary schools and 37.6 per cent of pupils in secondary schools opted for school meals in the 2010-11 year, up from 41.4 per cent and 35.8 per cent respectively in the previous year.
It means that:
- Around 173,000 more children had healthy school meals last year, compared with around 100,000 extra children in 2009-10
- More than three million children now eat a school meal every day
- The equivalent of almost 590 million healthy school lunches were served up last year
- The number of children taking both paid-for and free school meals in the 2010-11 year increased
Crucially, despite the un-ringfencing of Government funding for school food from September, our research also shows encouraging signs that schools are pledging to continue investing this money in good food at school. Two thirds of councils taking part in the survey (65%) indicated that their catering services would continue to receive School Lunch Grant funding, with fewer than one in five indicating otherwise.
The average meal price was £1.88 in primary schools catered for by their local authority, and £1.98 in secondary schools catered for by their local authority. That’s a rise of 5p or 3% in primary schools, and 4p or 2% in secondary schools – which is around the same as in the previous year.
You'll find lots more information - including data for your area – by looking at the Sixth Annual Survey of School Meals statistical release and full report below:
Sixth annual survey take up statistics: Statistical Release: – take up of school lunches in England 2010-2011
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/documents/annualsurvey6/statisticalrelease
Sixth annual survey of take up of school meals in England: full report. July 2011
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/documents/annualsurvey6
Today we’ve also set out our Six Staples of good food at school, that we believe will keep these figures rising: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/news/sixstaples
- Giving children enough time for lunch
- Decent dining rooms
- Freshly cooked food
- Affordable prices
- Stay on site policies
- Cooking in the curriculum.
Don't forget, whatever your involvement with food in schools, we can help you on all of these issues in your local area. Speak to our team today:
Contact us:
info@sft.gsi.gov.uk or 0114 2742318
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