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Free school meals for 30,000 Newham pupils in bid to cut obesity
Tim Ross1 May 2009
Every primary school child across a London borough will be given free meals in a drive to cut obesity.
More than 30,000 children in Newham will receive healthy school meals from September after the borough was chosen to lead a two-year government pilot scheme.
It will investigate whether free dinners change pupils' eating habits and improve their concentration.
Ministers hope the policy could be extended across the country but critics warn such a move could cost taxpayers £1 billion a year.
Newham was chosen, with Durham and Wolverhampton, because of the its high proportion of children from working class homes.
Almost 30 per cent of primary pupils in the borough are eligible for free school meals because they come from the poorest families. But the scheme will extend eligibility to all pupils, regardless of their parents' income.
Nationally, one in five eligible children does not take up free meals. Some officials believe this may be because of the stigma attached to pupils admitting they need financial help in front of classmates.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls said it was “not good enough” that children were missing out. “Healthy school dinners feed the minds and bodies of our children, helping them to get the most out of their day,” he said.
“We want to support all families and children to make healthy choices and lead as healthy a life as possible. These pilots will provide us with important information on the impact of having a free, healthy, hot meal each day and enable us to see whether it does improve behaviour, school results and healthy eating at home.”
The mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said the scheme was “fantastic news”. He added: “This means we can really make a difference to the lives of our pupils and their families, particularly those affected by poverty.”
The move follows a government drive to ban junk food and sweets from canteens and vending machines.
TV chef Jamie Oliver's campaign also prompted the Government to introduce rules for the minimum amounts of vitamins and fibre in canteen meals.
The three pilots will receive a share of £20 million from the Government. Headteachers called for assurances that their classroom budgets would not be cut in order to fund the policy.
* Headteachers accused ministers of “declaring war” on schools today by refusing to abolish Sats, amid fears of another marking fiasco within weeks.
The National Association of Head Teachers is threatening to boycott primary school tests next year with the National Union of Teachers to force Mr Balls to change his mind. The NAHT said MPs were “stuck in a time warp” and forcing professionals into action.
Reader views (11)
Who is paying for this?
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, 05/05/2009 06:47
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Just watch the cost of these meals shoot through the roof now that the Governemt will be footing the bill. By the time their bureacracy has finished it will have been cheaper to provide lunch at the Hilton for each kid.
- Mark T, Sydney, Aust, 05/05/2009 05:55
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Excellent idea, so long as the food is any good! Surely the next logical step is for the children to be making their own lunches at school, as part of their education. Classes could take turns day by day, there would be competition, prizes, etc, and the junk food outlets would gradually be forgotten.
- Mdj E10, london uk, 02/05/2009 16:01
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Whilst this is very commendable, what will the parents be stuffing down their children's throats at home, and, equally, what will the children be snacking on to and from school. Unless there's a complete sea-change in the way people eat nowadays, then a scheme like this - however well thought out - will not have the success that it hopes to have.
Also, I read recently that many children have no idea where, for example, chips come from, i.e. they don't know that chips are made from potatoes...and I suspect would be unable to spot a potato in a shop. It seems we haven't moved on from the 2nd World War days when (as my mother told me) evacuees to the country didn't know that milk came from cows.
- Judith, King's Lynn, England, 02/05/2009 15:01
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Jack Spratt, if all the meals were made vegan it would bypass the majority of religious diets (although not allergies - especially nut). I am curious as to what 7th Day Adventists eat? Or not ... ?
- Real, London, 02/05/2009 13:51
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In the old days it was simple now its a nightmare. Imagine providing meals for vegans, vegetarians, jews, muslims, nut allergy and a host of other allergies such as kiwi fruit or tomato not to mention my old friend the Seventh Day Adventist.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, England, 02/05/2009 13:15
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This is a positive step in re educating children as regards nutrition as long as there parents don't sabotage the effort as thay have done with other healthy eating schemes.The link between good nutrition and academic achievement is well proven, as is the link between good nutrition and improvements in behaviour.This scheme needs to be extended into the homes of these children, as in many cases there home life is a bad example were all to often you will find there parents are obese and lack even the most rudimentary knowledge of nutrition or even basic food preparation and cooking skills.
- Kev, London-UK, 02/05/2009 09:34
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The mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said the scheme was “fantastic news”. He added: “This means we can really make a difference to the lives of our pupils and their families, particularly those affected by poverty.”
I thought that was the idea of the pilot, to establish whether there was any proven link between nutrition and attainment.
Still it must be fantastic because a Labour Mayor and a Labour Government says so.
Come the revolution!
- Ian Gilbertson, Newcastle, 01/05/2009 18:50
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I'd like to see the menu in the borough of Newham,this could not have been a very big hate that this borough came out of,good old labour.
- Steve, London,in England., 01/05/2009 18:26
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Giving kids MORE food won't fight obesity unless they learn how to change the options of snacks they choose in their free time and their parents change their food shopping. In fact, if they're that greedy it'l just supplement their existing diet and worsen the problem surely?
- Real, London, 01/05/2009 17:25
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I cannot wait to see what Newham Council call healthy meals!
- Mike, London England, 01/05/2009 17:11
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