School leaders are calling for stronger monitoring of the school food standards, with more than two-thirds (68%) saying the standards would be more effective if compliance was independently checked, new polling commissioned by School Food Matters on behalf of the School Food Review reveals.
The survey of more than 1,400 headteachers and members of senior leadership teams in state schools across England, conducted by Teacher Tapp, comes as the government publishes its response to the public consultation on updating the school food standards.
The school food standards set out the requirements schools must meet when providing food and drink to children. The government has updated the standards to bring them in line with current nutritional guidance and strengthen requirements around areas including vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, fibre, pulses, processed meat, sugar, salt and saturated fat.
Alongside the revised standards, the government has also announced plans for a new monitoring and accountability framework to support implementation. Plans include requiring schools to publish their school food policy and lunch menus and nominate a governor with responsibility for school food. The Department for Education has also committed to working with the Food Standards Agency on an approach to monitoring school food with more detail to be shared in the coming months.
The School Food Review has called for a framework that brings together transparency, governance, independent verification and practical support for schools, helping to ensure stronger requirements translate into more nutritious food for children.
The polling suggests school leaders themselves support proper monitoring of the updated standards. Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they would welcome external verification of compliance in their own school.
The findings also point to the importance of providing practical support alongside accountability. More than half (57%) of school leaders said a template school food policy would be useful, while 37% wanted examples of good policies and the same proportion wanted training for governors with responsibility for school food.
There is also a clear opportunity to improve transparency around school food. Just 1% of school leaders reported already having a school food policy in place, while more than half (54%) said they expect publishing one to be easy. This suggests that schools see new transparency requirements as achievable in practice, particularly when they have the right support.
Myles Bremner, Senior Programme Manager at the School Food Review and former Director of the School Food Plan, says:
“The introduction of the school food standards in 2015 was a landmark moment for children's health. Updating the standards to reflect the latest nutritional guidance is welcome and long overdue. However, standards alone do not improve children’s diets.
We are encouraged to see the government acting on its promise to integrate monitoring and compliance into plans for the revised standards. A robust framework will be essential to ensuring the standards are implemented consistently across the country and ending the postcode lottery in the quality of school food. The government’s priority must be ensuring the updated standards deliver better food for every child in every school.”
Stephanie Slater MBE, Founder and Chief Executive at School Food Matters, says:
“School leaders are sending a clear message that accountability matters. Our polling found that the majority support external verification of the school food standards and recognise the important role monitoring can play in ensuring all children receive the nutritious food they deserve.
Children cannot benefit from standards that exist only on paper. To improve children’s health, we need a system that supports schools to put the standards into practice and ensures the changes are felt by every child, no matter where they live.”
David Littlemore, Executive Headteacher at two secondary schools in Reading and Bracknell, says:
“School food has a real part to play in helping young people to learn, grow and thrive. We’ve got an important opportunity now to raise the bar and make sure every child has access to nutritious, delicious food at school. But that change needs to be felt in the dining hall, not just written down in a set of standards. Clear and independent monitoring will help make sure these improvements translate into better food and better experiences for children in every school.”
Nick Turpin, Headteacher at a London primary school, says:
“Schools want to get school food right and many are already doing excellent work to create positive food cultures and improve children’s nutrition. It’s important that there is a clear way of checking that the standards are being put into practice, whilst also recognising schools that are doing things well, sharing what works and learning from each other.
Food is such an important part of the school day, and when children enjoy what they’re eating and feel positive about mealtimes, it can have a real impact on their experience of school and success in the classroom. That’s why it’s so important that the revised standards lead to meaningful change for every child.”
The School Food Review believes that effective monitoring should be part of a supportive framework that helps every school put the standards into practice. This will help ensure the government’s work to strengthen school food delivers better nutrition for children, supporting its ambition to give every child the best start in life.
Find out more about the School Food Review here.
