Primary school children in two deprived areas get free school lunches

Free school dinners will be on the menu this year, as all primary and secondary school children in two areas will get a free, healthy lunch every day.

Schools in deprived areas of Newham and County Durham will be piloting the scheme, which will allow them to eat for free.

The lunches will include plenty of vegetables, salad and fruit, as new nutrient standards come into force.

It is hoped that the new measures will promote a lifetime of healthy eating habits and children will not resort to eating junk food once they reach secondary school.

New research from the School Food Trust (SFT) also discovered that one in five parents on low incomes are not checking to see if they are entitled to free school meals for the year.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls said: “Eating a nutritious meal at lunchtime from a young age can help improve the behaviour of children in school and at home – that’s why these pilots are so important. Healthy school meals are vital to helping children do well at school and to prevent obesity.

“I encourage all families who are entitled to a free school meal to claim this valuable support. For those who are not eligible school meals are still a great deal and give parents good value for money. We know from recent research by the School Food Trust that parents with two children could save over £1,000 in a school year if they chose school meals – as well as the reassurance that their children are eating good quality, healthy food.”

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health said: The SFT launched a new campaign last week ‘Bringing down the Barriers’ aimed at children and parents to show how much money they would save every year if they claim their free school meals.

The campaign will also work to make sure that children on free school meals are not stigmatised.

Chief Executive of the School Food Trust, Judy Hargadon said: “ Recent research highlights that there could be as many as 300,000 children currently missing out on the opportunity of a free school meal. Reasons behind this are complex, but parents tell us that stigma and not knowing whether they are eligible or not can put them off signing up.”

New nutrient standards came into effect in primary schools in September 2008. This year they come into effect in secondary and special schools.

Average school lunches must contain at least one portion of salad, vegetable or fruit. Food must also have restricted amounts of fat, sugar and salt. There are also minimum requirements when it comes to vitamins and nutrients.