New government figures show school meal service meltdown – laws

Figures obtained by David Laws, MP for Yeovil Constituency, show that the school meal service in England is in meltdown. The figures, obtained in a Government parliamentary answer given to David Laws in August and due to be confirmed by new Government figures released this week, show that the Government is completely failing to deliver on pledges made after the Jamie Oliver campaign on school meals, back in 2005.

Almost 250,000 fewer school meals were served in secondary schools last year compared with 2 years ago – a decline of just under 20%. In primary schools, demand for school meals has fallen 10% in 2 years – with 178,000 fewer pupils taking the school food option. Almost two thirds of secondary school pupils are shunning school meals, and around 60% of primary school pupils.

The Government is now almost 1 million children below its 2009 target for getting more children to take up healthy school meals – 511,000 below target in secondary schools and 473,000 below target in primary schools.

David Laws said,

“These figures show that the English school meals service is in meltdown. Instead of boosting the number of children taking up healthy school meals, government policy has contributed to an implosion of the service.

“This is a classic example of a knee-jerk policy reaction from the Government which was not thought through. The new Secretary of State for Education must immediately intervene to stop matters from getting even worse. Without action, this Government could preside over the end of the school meals service as we know it.

“Almost two thirds of secondary school pupils are now shunning school food, and the situation is little better in primary schools.

“These latest figures show that since the Government announced it wanted to get more children to take school meals, there has been a decline of almost a quarter of a million children taking meals in secondary schools, and a decline of over 175,000 in primary schools.

“The Government is now 1 million children below its target for school meal uptake – and the figures are getting worse rather than better.

“The new standards for healthier school meals have been introduced too quickly, too inflexibly, and with too little education of pupils and parents.

“School meal prices have been rising much too quickly, and it is a national disgrace that 3,500 schools nationally have no facilities to prepare school meals.

“We need to slow down the introduction of the new standards, and invest more in better education, quality ingredients and in new facilities.

“With children returning to school for the new school year over the next few days, the Government must act urgently”.

ENDS.

Category: Constituency News