Ofsted looks at the decline of school meals take-up

Parents and children, fed up with having to pay more, queue for longer and have no say in school menus are turning away from school meals in droves. Ofsted inspectors have been looking into the root cause of a large decline in school meal take-up. They found that fewer pupils are taking school lunches in 70% of the 27 schools they've visited since new healthy food standards were introduced.

They found that low-income parents are being deterred by a rise in the cost of school lunches, and pupils are turned off by long queue during their lunch hour.

Poor marketing of new menus is also a factor, Ofsted found, with parents and pupils not being consulted over changes.

Children's Minister Kevin Brennan told the BBC; 'We are urging schools to make the most of our £477m investment in raising nutritional standards and keeping prices down; greater focus on diet and practical cooking skills in class; and targeting an additional £150m funding at schools with the poorest kitchen and dining provision.'

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