Majority of state school leaders back external checks to ensure revised school food standards improve children’s nutrition

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 both primary and secondary 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 strengthened requirements around 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 online, 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 to help 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%) of state school leaders said they would welcome external verification of compliance in their own school. 

Just 1% of school leaders reported already having a school food policy in place. However, more than half (54%) said they expect publishing one to be easy, suggesting schools see new transparency requirements as achievable in practice. 

The findings also highlight the importance of providing practical support alongside accountability. The majority (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. 

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.

ENDS

Notes to editors

About the polling

Polling was conducted in September 2026 by Teacher Tapp among more than 1,400 headteachers and members of senior leadership teams in state schools across England.

Teacher Tapp is a daily survey app that asks thousands of teachers questions and reweights the results to make them representative.

About the School Food Review

The School Food Review is a coalition of organisations governed by representatives from School Food Matters, Chefs in Schools, Bite Back, Sustain and The Food Foundation, working together to improve the school food system in England. It brings together voices from education, food, health, children's charities, catering and academia around a shared ambition: that every child should have the opportunity to access and enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food.

The coalition is focused on three connected areas of reform: access, quality and funding. By bringing together evidence and expertise from across the school food sector, the School Food Review works to support a school food system that delivers for every child, whatever their background or where they live.

More information about the School Food Review is available here: https://www.schoolfoodmatters.org/what-we-do/advocacy/school-food-review 

Read the School Food Review’s proposed compliance framework here - ‘From Standards to Practice: An Accountability Framework for Better School Food Compliance’ (July 2026