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Hungry for Success

Section 2 CONTEXT OF SCHOOL MEALS IN SCOTLAND

Background
School Meal Provision
School Meals and Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Nutritional Outcomes
International Context

Background

2.1 When we focus on food provision in schools it becomes evident that some of the elements of the health promoting school, relating to food provision, predate the birth of the health promoting school concept in 1985. When compulsory education was first introduced in Scotland in 1872, one of the devices to encourage young people to attend was the provision of a hot meal in many of the schools. The poor nutritional status and fitness of young men to serve in the Boer War resulted in a Royal Commission in 1902 recommending that meals should be provided in all schools and this was implemented in Scotland in the Education (Provision of Meals) (Scotland) Act in 1908. In 1939 the social aspect of school meals was clearly recognised and the value of this described in some detail in a Department of Education report: "If properly provided, school meals, whether given at a school canteen or at a feeding centre outside the school premises can have an educational value for the child as great as the medical. If a properly balanced meal be well cooked and well served under attractive conditions and with a happy discipline, its nutritional value is enhanced, and its educational value incalculable. The elder children learn to wait on others and to serve them first. All learn good table manners, the importance of eating with clean hands, and of unhurried mastication, and become accustomed to a varied and wholesome dinner."

2.2 Although our society and the nature of the school day have changed dramatically since that was written, it does serve as a reminder that there is a social dimension to the provision of school meals and that this has to be actively managed as an integral part of the school day.

2.3 Currently there are no statutory standards in Scotland which apply specifically and explicitly to school meals. Objective nutrient standards were recommended by the Government during the Second World War, but were allowed to lapse and were formally withdrawn in 1969. A subjective standard, that the midday meal should be so planned as to secure variety and a nutritious and balanced diet appropriate to the age of the recipients, remained in place at least until 1976 under Milk and Meals Regulations. These were superseded when the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 consolidated the school meal provisions of earlier legislation.

2.4 More recently, voluntary and more general guidance was put in place as a result of work on Eating for Health, A Diet Action Plan for Scotland. These took the shape of Model Nutritional Guidelines for Catering Specifications for the Public Sector in Scotland (Eating for Health) and Nutrient Standards (Caroline Walker Trust). Implementation and monitoring of arrangements put in place as a result of these Guidelines is a matter for education authorities. Research suggests that, while some authorities have responded positively to these, much remains to be done.

School Meal Provision

2.5 There are just under 3000 state schools in Scotland. The majority of these are primary schools (over 2300). There are around 360 secondary schools and approximately 230 special schools and special educational needs units. The provision of school meals varies amongst education authorities. Many schools have the ability to prepare and serve hot school meals on the premises, others only have the ability to serve hot meals which are prepared at a central production kitchen. In some education authorities, the majority of schools have the ability to prepare and serve meals whilst in others, less than half have this facility.

2.6 Around 56.4 million school meals are provided each year. The cost of these school meals per pupil varies between education authorities as does any subsidy provided by them. Funding for school meals is provided to local authorities through Grant Aided Expenditure. This money is not ring-fenced.

2.7 Scottish Executive data shows that there are 740,000 pupils on school rolls in Scotland. The following table shows the percentage of all pupils entitled to free school meals in Scotland:

2.8 Once a year the Executive collects school meal data from all schools in Scotland. On school meal census day, just over 665,000 pupils were present (January 2001 ¹). Of those pupils, 48.7% took a school meal. This is equivalent to approximately 325,000 pupils, of whom around 103,000 were eating a free school meal. Of those pupils eligible for a free school meal, 71% took a meal. The following table shows the percentage of pupils eating a free school meal on the day of the census:

¹The 2000-01 figures for school meals were the latest available figures at the time the audit of current practice was carried out. To ensure consistency between the school meal figures and the results of the audit of current practice which were also used in the costings, the costings were not updated with the 2001-02 figures for school meals which were released in June 2002. The 2001-02 school meal figures show that free meal entitlement and uptake have fallen slightly, this would result in lower costs to local authorities for providing these meals. However, against this, overall uptake was seen to improve slightly, this would result in a higher subsidy provision for those local authorities which subsidise school meals.

2.9 It is difficult to determine the reasons for pupils with free meal entitlement not eating a free meal on the day of the census. A proportion of those pupils with free meal entitlement was not present on census day and some might not be registered with their school as entitled to receive a free school meal. Other pupils may not have taken their free school meal through choice despite being present on the day of the census.

School Meals and Compulsory Competitive Tendering

2.10 There is a long-standing statutory requirement on education authorities to provide a free school meal, although the extent of the meal is not well defined. In 1988, local authorities were required to subject the school meal service to competition. Although the service may have benefited from close examination and process improvements, we believe that the principles of compulsory competitive tendering conflicted with the lifestyle strategies which many authorities were developing during this period. In essence, caterers were encouraged to reduce cost wherever possible and this may have led to a reduced focus on approaches to health, diet, choice, portions, etc.

2.11 Our report contains a series of recommendations, many of which are designed to improve the long-term health of the nation. We believe that the school meal service will require a period of stability during which the recommendations will be implemented and evaluated. It is essential, therefore, that the service is allowed such stability, free from the commercial pressures of competition, for a suitable period of time. The current Local Government in Scotland Bill is intended to remove the compulsory competitive tendering legislation which will be replaced by a duty of Best Value, which is continuous improvement in the performance of functions.

Nutritional Outcomes

2.12 There is a broad range of evidence that significant numbers of Scottish children are poorly nourished and many have unhealthy diets. A study of Edinburgh children by Ruxton and Kirk (1996) showed that poorer children rely more on school meals for nutrition and have less well-balanced diets. Another study, also Edinburgh-based (Ruxton et al .,1996) showed that school meals have deteriorated in nutritional quality, were poor compared to relevant expert guidelines and were poor compared to the quality of home-produced packed lunches. School meals have an important role to play in both supporting the nutrient intakes of vulnerable children at risk of undernutrition, and to promote healthier eating to all Scottish children amongst whom there is a growing prevalence of obesity.

2.13 The report from the Food in Schools Conference, mentioned previously, quoted the then Health Minister's assertion that "we cannot force-feed our youngsters, make them eat cucumber instead of Crunchies, or chain them to their school dining table to stop them going to the chip shop. What we can do is enable them to make healthy choices". The conference report concluded that what was needed was a single policy framework (including nutrient standards), partnership working and the sharing of good practice.

2.14 The Scottish Consumer Council/Health Education Board for Scotland report on school meals service in Scotland based on commissioned research (Ridley et al., November 2001), focused on the users of the service (pupils, parents, teachers) and concluded that "across the different school meals service types examined there were consistent factors which appear to influence the perceptions and take-up of school meals. These relate to issues of cost, choice and information, quality, the appearance and layout of the dining room, time constraints, age and access to alternatives".

International Context

2.15 While it is interesting to consider the provision of school meals in other countries, there is a lack of directly applicable evidence from other countries to inform the debate in Scotland. In Finland and Sweden, there is a long established provision of free school meals to all school students, however, we understand that some authorities in Sweden are considering introducing charges. In Finland and Sweden, there is a more limited choice of food provision than in Scotland and in some cases no choice, but this reflects the practice since pre-school and does not appear to be a problem. Pupils do not seem to expect the wide range of choices currently available to young people in Scotland. Teachers in Sweden report that they sit with the pupils and that they value the social experience of lunch time as part of the "whole-child" approach.

2.16 In the United States, both federal and state nutritional standards have been widely introduced in relation to school meals. Monitoring of the catering provision can be weak and there is evidence that these standards may be achieved by the use of fortified and functional foods rather than the provision of a wide range of appetising and attractive food choices for the young people. A whole-school approach to the promotion of healthier eating is often lacking.

2.17 Not all countries in Europe provide school meals routinely and this is true of some Southern European countries where the rhythm and timing of the school day is totally different from Scotland because of the climate. In many of these Mediterranean countries young people eat extremely healthily, but school meals are not necessarily an important contribution to that pattern.

2.18 It appears that it is difficult to make meaningful comparisons on the nature and effects of school meal provision in different countries because of the wide range of cultural contexts and also the variations in the nature of education in diverse countries.

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