Report highlights wider benefits of free school meals

The coalition behind the School Food Review has released a new report which lays out evidence demonstrating the multiple benefits of expanding free school meals, starting with all children from families in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefits, as a first step to universal free school meals.

These include not only better health and wellbeing, but improved attendance, better pupil outcomes and wider social benefits including reduced inequalities.

The report provides evidence to show why every child, no matter where they live, should have the same opportunity to access and enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food.

Also launching today is Barnardo’s report Nourishing The Future, which includes survey results that show that every week, nearly one in five UK parents (19%) have to buy unhealthy food for their children because they can’t afford healthier options.

And the majority (60%) of parents who had to buy unhealthy food for their children in the last year said they were worried about what they were feeding their children. This new YouGov data shows the increasing need to provide children with access to free and nutritious school meals across the school day.
 
Both reports will launch at a parliamentary event today, hosted by the School Food Review – a coalition of organisations which includes The Food Foundation, School Food Matters, Chefs in Schools, Bite Back and Barnardo’s as well as other charities, educational bodies, unions, academics and caterers - who are urging the government to extend access to free school meals.
 
The event - The Superpowers of School Food: Breakfast and Beyond – will provide MPs with evidence that shows exactly why every child, no matter where they live, should have the same opportunity to access and enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food.
 
Among the charities is School Food Matters - which commissioned polling of 10,000 teachers in England to find out the extent and impact of child hunger at school. One in five teachers (20%) reported that the number of children who are too hungry to learn has increased since the beginning of the academic year. A quarter of teachers (25%) reported using their own money to feed children. Overall, two-thirds (67%) of teachers said they supported introducing free school meals for all children.
 
In England, access to free school meals is extremely restrictive, with families needing to earn under £7,400 (after tax, excluding benefits) per year to qualify, leaving around one million children in poverty without access. However, in other parts of the UK, the situation is better. The eligibility threshold is highest in Northern Ireland at £15,000 (after tax, excluding benefits). Children in London and Wales, as well as some age groups in Scotland, are entitled to universal free school meals in primary education.
 
Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive at School Food Matters said: "As part of our research we spoke to headteachers in schools outside London who believe it's unfair that access to good nutrition is determined by a family's postcode or their pay packet."
 
Chef Tom Kerridge said: “Clearly something is broken within that free school meal system. Trying to get something more robust and solid in place is desperately needed. For many of these kids, a free school meal is the only meal they get that’s warm”
 
Chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver said: “When we feed kids well, when we act with kindness and integrity in our politics, the benefits are profound. It truly is a superpower – setting them up to get better grades, better jobs, and so putting £8.9 billion back into the economy over 20 years. Let's hope our politicians can step up to the plate.”
 
Recommendations from Barnardo’s report to the governments in each UK nation include measures to increase the value of healthy shopping vouchers given to families with young children living on the lowest budgets, making school lunches free for all primary school children, with an immediate extension to all families receiving Universal Credit, strengthening the rules on the quality of meals that schools can provide and using the proceeds of any future taxes on sugar or salt to reduce food insecurity.