School meals slump prompts Highland 'sweetener' bid

EFFORTS to encourage more children in the Highlands to eat school meals are to be stepped up after it emerged the total being served to pupils has slumped by more than 600, compared to last year.

Councillors will be asked to approve a proposed new group which will investigate the reasons for the alarming fall and pupils will play a key role in the process, as two of them are poised to become members.

The average uptake of school meals in primary schools has dropped by 626 this year compared to 2011/12 but education officials have stated there is no detailed evidence why and have proposed a “stakeholders” group is formed to look into the possible issues.

It has also emerged that only 60 per cent of the free school entitlement, available to children from low income households, has been taken up by pupils in the last three years.

However, the number of meals served in secondary schools has actually shot up by an extra 572 compared to last term.

In Argyll, nine-year-old school girl Martha Payne attracted huge interest and there was a public outcry earlier this year after the local authority banned her taking photographs of her school meals and posting it on internet blog because it upset canteen staff.

She had criticised the quality of food served up and subsequently gained support from a host of celebrities like chef Jamie Oliver, who had led a much publicised campaign in England through his television shows to improve school meal offerings.

There is no mention of the quality of food offered up to Highland pupils as being a potential factor for the slump in meals uptake in the report, which will be debated by Highland Council’s adult and children’s services committee on Wednesday.

The cost of meals and trend of parents providing packed lunches to their children are highlighted while other possible factors will be provided, on a school by school basis, from catering staff at the meeting.

Committee chairman Alasdair Christie said he did not want to pre-judge the stakeholder group’s findings by speculating on the quality of food or any other possible factors.

“It will be a root and branch review but it is not because our performance is terrible and any worse than other local authorities,” said Councillor Christie, who welcomed the likely participation of secondary pupils in the exercise.

Pupil representation in the group, which will report back to the committee in May 2013 with a series of recommendations for improving the uptake of meals, was suggested by the former Highland youth convener Stuart Davidson at an education meeting in March.

Councillor Christie warned the UK Government’s sweeping changes to the welfare system next year could affect free meal uptake and added there were a host of factors affecting the meal choices of children, including the fact that secondary pupils can leave their campuses at lunchtime to buy food from other outlets.

Membership of the school meals group will also extend to councillors, school catering staff and a dietician.

The local authority has heavily promoted school meals in the last few years and run meal deals, discos and other events aimed at encouraging children to eat them.

School meals cost £1.80 per child in Highland primaries and £2 in secondaries.

The average cost of producing one meal is £3.08, with the remainder subsidised by the council.

Why has there been a drop in uptake? Are school meals value for money? Share your views at editor@rsjournal.co.uk