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STATISTICS PUBLICATION NOTICE
SCHOOL MEALS IN SCOTLAND JANUARY 2004
BACKGROUND NOTES
1. In January 2004 around 95 per cent of primary and 89 per cent of secondary pupils on school registers were present on census day, an increase compared with the previous year.
2. Schools in which no pupils took a school meal are excluded from tables 1-17 in the publication, as it is assumed that these schools do not provide school meals. These schools were included in some columns of Tables 18 and 20 (there were no publicly funded secondary schools in which no pupils took a school meal).
3. Figures for special schools may be unreliable, as all pupils in the school may be automatically given free school meals. They have therefore not been published in the local authority tables.
4. Figures for primary schools may include some nursery school pupils attending primary schools.
5. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals was not available in Edinburgh. Therefore, the percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals in each school in the January 2003 School Meals Survey was applied to the school roll figure from January 2004 School Meals Survey, to obtain the estimated number of pupils entitled to free school meals (or the number registered, which was used if it was higher).
6. The number of pupils entitled to free school meals in East Renfrewshire was higher than normal due to their misinterpretation about the eligibility for free school meals.
7. The rural/ urban classifications in Table 5 are defined as follows:
- Large urban areas - settlements over 125,000 population. This covers the city conurbations of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.
- Other urban areas - settlements of 10,000 to 125,000 people.
- Accessible small towns - settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.
- Small remote towns - settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people, who are not within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more people.
- Accessible rural areas - settlements of less than 3,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more people
- Remote rural areas - settlements of less than 3,000 people who are not within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more people.
8. The information in this publication is used for benchmarking performance, and has been used in calculating the distribution of grant support to local authorities in previous years. Entitlement to free school meals is widely used as an indicator of deprivation, which can be seen to be linked to attainment levels, attendance rates etc. Tables 9, 10, 15 and 16 are National Priority indicators.
Entitlement and registration
9. Local Authorities are issued with agreed guidance to allow for a figure to be given for those pupils whom they understand to be entitled to free school meals but who are not registered as such on their systems. For the first time this year, the number of pupils registered was also collected. Some authorities returned the same number of pupils registered as entitled (generally those showing 100 per cent in the third column of tables 7 and 13).
10. Pupils entitled to free school meals are those within families who receive Income Support (IS) or Income-based Job Seekers Allowance (IBJSA). Those within families who receive support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 may also be entitled. Children who receive IS or IBJSA in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals. Also entitled are children whose parents or carers receive Child Tax Credit, do not receive Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) of below 13,230.
Healthy eating
11. This publication also gives new information on the Executive's healthy eating campaign. Ministers accepted all of the recommendations in the report of the Expert Panel on School Meals. This was set up to improve the provision, presentation and nutrition of school meals and increase take up. Amongst other measures, standalone nutrient standards have been issued to authorities. We have also provided detailed guidance on implementing the Panel's recommendations and setting up a free fruit scheme. The three aspects of this initiative which were measured in the survey are:
- Anonymised system: whether there is a system in place (e.g. a swipe card system) that ensures that recipients of free school meals remain anonymous.
- Drinking water: whether there is an adequate supply of readily accessible drinking water for pupils and staff, which is free, fresh and chilled, provided with drinking cups, glasses or drinking bottles both within the dining room and available during periods of learning.
- Free fruit: whether P1 and P2 pupils are supplied with free fruit at least three times per week, in addition to any fruit provided as part of the lunch.
12. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
13. The following symbol is used in the publication:
- = zero or rounds to zero
n/a = not available
* = where numbers involve fewer than five individuals. Where this figure then contributes to the total, it has been assumed throughout that this figure is 3.
14. The team responsible for producing this document was: Mal Cooke, Bianca Heggie, Colin Gallacher, Aileen Kirchen, Douglas White.
15. All tables are available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00347-00.asp
Enquiries or comments
16. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to Mal Cooke, ECSU, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1A, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 1689 or email school.stats@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
17. Media enquiries about the information in this News Release should be addressed to Michael Bargeton Telephone 0131 244 2087
Statistics Publication Notice
22 June 2004
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