Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether meat from animals slaughtered without first being stunned is being served as part of school meals in local authority maintained schools.

We do not collect this information.

The Government sets out required minimum standards for school food in the School Food Standards to ensure that children are served healthy, nutritious meals at school. The standards do not specify food requirements in terms of cultural and religious needs.

Head teachers, governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies. We expect schools to act reasonably and to provide choices that take account of cultural, religious and special dietary needs. We also expect schools to work with parents in making appropriate arrangements. In particular, schools should consult with parents when making changes to school food provision and ensure that parents have access to information on the food provided. If parents are not happy with the food provided by the school, they can discuss this with the school and may consider using the schools complaints policy. We would expect any significant changes to school food to be discussed with parents.