An investigation into nutritional standards in 25 of England's nursery, infant and primary schools found that while nurseries give children clear, consistent messages about healthy eating, primary schools are failing to get the right messages across.
Evidence of good practice was found in every nursery setting, but only a small number of primary schools had coherent food policies, the report said.
It also found that compulsory nutritional standards for school lunches are not being properly implemented because some schools are not offering enough healthier food options.
Although there was evidence of good work on food and nutrition in the curriculum, there were some 'serious concerns' about the variety of food available to primary school children.
Lizzie Vann, founder of children's food company Organix, said that nursery nurses are likely to be more successful in promoting healthy eating because they 'take more responsibility for the development and psychology of the whole child', while teachers 'concentrate on a particular area of learning'.
Sarah Schenker, a nutritionist from the British Nutrition Foundation who visited settings with Ofsted inspectors, said, 'The whole point about nutritional standards is providing children with a choice, so that if you are a doing a meal with chips, there is an alternative, such as jacket or boiled potatoes. But we found children at the end of the lunch queue don't have as much choice as those at the front because the healthy food is in short supply.'
She praised nurseries for giving children a lot of 'care and guidance' about food and for offering 'adult food in small portions' rather than "kiddy food" -breaded fish or chicken shapes which she said is often the case in primary schools.
The report highlighted Shaw Cross Infants and Nursery School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for its good practice. This includes a 'healthy cafe' every Friday when children cook meals with nursery teacher Sue Winner and a team of parents.
Headteacher Carole Page said that 'Friday cook day' is 'a popular way of involving parents and an excellent way to motivate the children to learn in an enjoyable, practical way'. She said that not only do the children experience a 'sense of satisfaction and sensory pleasure', but they are 'more likely to try out different food' if they are eating in a social environment.
The report Starting early: food and nutrition education of young children is available on the website www.food.gov.uk/healthiereating.
