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SCHOOL MEALS IN EDUCATION AUTHORITY SCHOOLS 2000-01

A SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE NATIONAL STATISTICS PUBLICATION

29 October 2001

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The provisional results of the latest annual survey of school meals are published today by the Scottish Executive Education Department.

These results have been calculated using information from the annual survey of school meals. The information was collected in January 2001 from all education authorities in Scotland. This news release updates the figures published in June 2000 in the news release School Meals in Education Authority Schools 1999-00, which reported the results of the January 2000 survey.

The main findings are:

• At January 2001, 21 per cent of primary pupils and 17 per cent of secondary pupils were recorded as being entitled to free meals in education authority schools (Table 1).
• Of the 665,414 pupils present on census day, 49 per cent took school meals (Table 2).
• Actual uptake of free meals amongst pupils present on census day (16 per cent) was lower than the recorded level of entitlement of pupils on the register (19 per cent).
• Glasgow City had the highest percentage (41 per cent) of pupils recorded as being entitled to free meals compared to Aberdeenshire who had the lowest at 7 per cent (Table 3).

• 89 per cent of pupils present on census day took meals in the Shetland Islands compared with the national average of 49 per cent (Table 4).

TABLES

Table 1 - Pupils on the register of education authority schools: Number and percentage of pupils recorded as being entitled to free meals by sector, 1995-95 to 2000-01.

Table 2 - Pupils present in education authority schools on census day: Pupils present taking meals by sector, 1995-95 to 2000-01.

Table 3 - Pupils on the register of education authority schools: Number and percentage of pupils recorded as being entitled to free meals by education authority and sector, 2000-01.

Table 4 - Pupils present in education authority schools on census day: Pupils present taking meals by education authority and sector, 2000-01.

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

1. A survey of school meals provided by education authorities has been carried out annually since 1982-83. In January 2001 around 93 per cent of primary and 86 per cent of secondary pupils on school registers were present on census day, a slight decrease compared with the previous year.
2. The data for the years 1995-96 to 1997-98 for primary schools may include some nursery pupils attending primary schools. These were unable to be separately identified in recording those entitled to free school meals and taking meals. The provision of free school meals is not compulsory within the pre-school education sector, therefore no information has been collected since 1998-99 from centres of pre-school education.
3. This information is used for target setting, and has been used in calculating the distribution of grant support to local authorities in previous years. In order to improve the quality of the data, Local Authorities were issued with agreed guidance to allow for an estimate for those pupils who they believed to be entitled to free school meals but were not recorded as such on their systems.
4. Changes in the way school meal data is reported by Local Authorities has caused some inconsistency in the results between years and between different Local Authorities.
5. Under Section 53(3) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education authorities had a duty to provide school meals in the middle of the day and free of charge to a pupil whose parents were in receipt of Income Support, or who was him/her self in receipt of income support. Effective from 7 October 1996, section 41(4) of, and paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to, the Jobseekers Act 1995 amended section 53(3) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. This amendment meant that education authorities have a duty to provide meals free of charge to a pupil whose parents are in receipt of income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance (payable under the Jobseekers Act 1995) or who is him/her self in receipt of that benefit.
6. Due to a slight error, the 1996-97 to 1998-99 school sector figures published in Table 1 and Table 2 last year were incorrect. These have been corrected in this News Release, and are now the same as those figures published in June 1999. This correction does not affect any of the key trends reported previously.
7. 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.

Enquiries

8. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to Gary Sutton, Statistician, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1A-West, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 0323 or email gary.sutton@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
9. Media enquiries about the information in this News Release should be addressed to:

David Hood: 0131 244 5033

News Release
29 Oct 2001

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