Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote healthy eating in schools.

The Department encourages a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through school funding, legislation and guidance. Schools are encouraged to have a whole school approach to healthy eating through the National Curriculum and school food provision.

The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. These regulations are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day.

1.9 million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for and are claiming a free, healthy and nutritious school meal. An additional 1.25 million infants enjoy a free meal at lunchtime, following the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals.

The School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme also provides over 2.2 million pupils in Reception and Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school. Schools are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to educate pupils on the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet.

The importance of a healthy diet is also included in the science curriculum for both primary and secondary school. Healthy eating is covered through topics relating to nutrition and digestion, which cover the content of a healthy diet and the impact of diet on how the body functions.

The relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance states that by the end of primary school, pupils should know what constitutes a healthy diet (including understanding nutritional content), the principles of planning and preparing a range of healthy meals, the characteristics of a poor diet, and the risks associated with unhealthy eating. By the end of secondary school pupils should know how to maintain a healthy diet and understand the links between a poor diet and health risks.

Healthy eating and opportunities to develop pupils’ cooking skills are covered in the design and technology (DT) curriculum. Cooking and nutrition is a discrete strand of the DT curriculum and is compulsory in maintained schools for Key Stages 1 to 3. The curriculum aims to teach pupils how to cook and how to apply the principles of healthy eating and nutrition. The Department has also introduced a new food preparation and nutrition GCSE to provide pupils with practical cookery experience and teach them the underlying scientific concepts of nutrition and healthy eating.

The Healthy Schools Rating Scheme celebrates the positive actions that schools are delivering in terms of healthy living, healthy eating and physical activity, and supports schools in identifying further actions that they can take in this area. This voluntary rating scheme is available for both primary and secondary schools.