The School Food Trust - looking to the future

 

If there’s one question I’ve been asked a lot in the last few weeks, it’s this: what’s next for school food?

Not surprising, when you consider the incredible progress that’s already been made since the Trust was established in 2005. Mandatory standards for school food have come into force for all maintained schools in England – which cut out, for example, the crisps and confectionery, restrict the provision of fried foods and ensure that all children have access to vegetables, salad and fresh fruit every day. We now have clear evidence of the links between a good lunch in the right environment and the way that children perform and behave in the afternoon at school. Investment in training for school cooks is enabling them to update their skills and explore new ideas. Families are now learning about cooking together through the lottery-funded network of Let’s Get Cooking clubs, led by the Trust.

But it was the publication of a new piece of research this month which perhaps best sums up the journey so far. The Trust completed the first national study to measure the impact of the standards in primary schools – comparing what children were taking and eating back in 2005 with what they eat today. 

There’s still a long way to go, but the results are hugely encouraging. Almost three quarters of primary school children who eat school meals in England are now taking vegetables or salad with their lunch. Pupils are sitting down with an average of 2 portions of their ‘5-a-day’ on their plates. Levels of fat, salt and sugar are down in a standard lunch and the amount of food being left uneaten in primary school dining rooms hasn’t increased - as many believed might be the case when work to introduce the new school lunch standards first began.

The huge shift in what’s being offered to children – and in what they will accept onto their plates – reflects the remarkable achievements of caterers and lunch supervisors to encourage primary school children to give healthier options a try.

But with more than 1 in 5 children starting their reception year already obese, it’s very clear that learning about a balanced diet needs to begin as early as possible in these young lives. The understanding of where food comes from, how good food is prepared and how it fits in a balanced lifestyle are lessons they will take with them right through their lives.

As the Government prepares to review the Early Years Foundation Stage later this year, the Trust is pleased to be working with DCSF to carry out some background work on the existing food and drink guidance for early years settings, that may inform the wider review.

Ultimately, we know that what children eat at lunchtime is important not just for their health and wellbeing, but also for their performance, behaviour and concentration. School food isn’t just a service – it’s part of the whole education experience. But most importantly, good school food is part of a child’s education. One of my very first visits in this new role was to Gay Elms Primary School in Bristol, where I took part in a cooking class with Year 1 pupils. Their enthusiasm and interest were infectious; having seen our Let’s Get Cooking clubs at work too, I know that when children get excited about food and cooking skills, it really does inspire their parents to try new ideas in the kitchen at home.

One look at the behaviour changes being targeted by the Government’s successful Change 4 Life campaign shows just how important school food can be in that education. From ‘meal times’ to ‘sugar swaps’, balanced school food is a central tool for helping children to understand and make healthier choices.

That’s why we have to keep up the momentum – because there is so much still to do. So many factors influence the decision to buy a school meal, and long-term change will only happen if we engage the whole school community in making lunchtime a highlight of the school day. Our Million Meals campaign, which offers free resources to help schools make the small changes which can make a big difference to their lunch numbers, now has 6,000 schools signed up but there are so many more we want to work with.

Good school food is about children’s welfare – which is why the Trust is delighted to be supporting the Government’s additional pilots of universal free school meals for primary school pupils, and the expansion of eligibility for free school meals for low-income working families. Extending the benefits of nutritious, tasty school lunches to so many more young people illustrates the role that school food can play in improving children’s health, wellbeing, and performance, and in tackling poverty - issues at the heart of the agenda for so many local authorities. We very much look forward to working with the new pilots as they roll out.

Perhaps most importantly, a good lunchtime shapes how children and young people actually feel about their time at school. Pupils tell us that the experience they have at lunchtime can, quite literally, make or break their day. So with well-balanced, tasty food, marketing materials to rival the high street, a dining room that feels like somewhere pupils want to spend time and enough minutes in the timetable both to eat lunch and take part in activities, we should have a recipe for legendary lunchtimes that the adults of tomorrow will look back on with a smile.

I’ve been on the board of the School Food Trust since its inception, so I’ve seen first-hand just how far school food has come. But there is still so much to do, and it’s going to take time. My menu for school food? Sharing the lessons we’ve learned about its value across the whole health and welfare agenda for children of all ages, and making sure that young people have the time and space to eat in an environment they like. And that’s just for starters.

 

Rob Rees MBE is the new Chair of the Board at the School Food Trust