New data shows 1.3 million more infants eating free school meals
Official figures show that the Deputy Prime Minister’s policy of offering free school meals to all infants at school has had a very high uptake in its first 3 months. In total 1,640,530 children, equivalent to 85% of all infants, are enjoying a school meal at lunchtime.
The news comes as the Deputy Prime Minister visits a primary school to do some Christmas cooking, and to see how the new policy is benefiting children. Visiting Hallfield Primary School in London, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:
Well over a million and a half infants are enjoying a school meal at lunchtime, giving them a better start to afternoon lessons and a healthy boost for their first years in school. The other good news for families is that this saves them up to £400 per child a year on the cost of a packed lunch.
The naysayers about this policy can eat their hats, and all the leftover sprouts.
Children in schools across the country are currently tucking into their Christmas lunches at school. Based on the new data about numbers of children taking free school meals, if every child has a Christmas dinner at school, this could mean that:
nearly 25,000 turkeys will be devoured
around 9.8 million sprouts will be munched
29,000 litres of gravy will be slurped
Schools Minister David Laws said:
Christmas marks the end of a first successful term of delivering universal infant free school meals, and it is testament to the efforts put in by school staff, caterers and local authorities that more children all over England are enjoying the benefits of a great tasting, nutritional meal at lunch.
Free school meals save parents money and ensure children are focused and able to concentrate throughout the day. Now we want to encourage more schools to focus on quality, and continue building on the huge steps we have already made since September.
The policy to offer a free school meal to all infants in primary school was introduced in England in September 2014.
There is a real need to address health problems that are linked to a poor diet, with almost 20% of children being obese by the time they leave primary school. Evidence clearly shows that childhood eating habits stay with you for life, which is why it’s vital to address this problem from a very young age.
A common misconception is that a packed lunch is healthier than a school meal. In fact only 1% of packed lunches meet the nutritional standards that currently apply to school food.
Nutritionist, Amanda Ursell, said:
We know that a healthy school lunch can improve a child’s academic performance. Pilot studies showed children eating a free school meal were up to 2 months ahead of their peers in maths and English. I am delighted to hear that so many parents have encouraged their children to have a free school meal at lunchtime.
Parents can save up to £400 on the cost of a packed lunch - which is more than the average family spends on Christmas presents every year.
Pilots for free school meals in Newham and Durham showed a 23% increase in the number of children eating vegetables at lunch and an 18% drop in crisps.
