Nursery World - Free school dinners are proposed for all

A free school dinner scheme could be offered to all primary school pupils in Liverpool to combat child obesity, in a joint initiative between Liverpool City Council and the local Primary Care Trust.

The council is undertaking a feasibility study into the implications ofthe scheme, which would affect around 35,000 children and apply to 139primary schools. Providing free school meals for all primary school-agedchildren in Liverpool would cost around 10m per year, and around1.80 per meal, according to the council's estimates. Some thirtyper cent of children at the city's primary schools already qualify forfree school meals.

Councillor Keith Turner, executive member for education at Liverpoolcity council, said, 'All the evidence shows that school meals havegreater nutritional value than packed lunches because it means childrenare getting a balanced diet, rather than eating junk food such as crispsand chocolate bars. Giving every primary school child a free meal wouldbe a huge incentive for parents and hopefully get them into healthyeating habits, which will last a lifetime and reduce obesity.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included