Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children are not hungry at school.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department provides a range of support designed to ensure that children in schools are provided with healthy and nutritious meals throughout the school day.
The department is investing up to £35 million in the National School Breakfast Programme until the end of July 2025. This funding is supporting up to 2,700 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low-income families are being offered free nutritious breakfasts at school to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.
In addition to this, the department spends over £1 billion a year on free school meals, including £600 million for Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). Under the benefits-based criteria, two million of the most disadvantaged pupils are eligible for free meals. Close to 1.3 million additional infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the UIFSM policy in 2014. In total, over one third of pupils are in receipt of this crucial support, which is up from one in six in 2010.
Furthermore, the department provides over 2.2 million children in reception and Key Stage 1 with a portion of fresh fruit or vegetables each day at school through the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.
The department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools through ‘The Requirements for School Food Regulations’ (2014), which require schools to provide children with healthy food and drink options and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.
Mentions:
1: Lord Curry of Kirkharle (XB - Life peer) More fruit and vegetable consumption is essential if we are to improve the nation’s health. - Speech Link
2: Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Con - Life peer) Having left school at 17—I should have gone to university but I did not, and I do not mind that I did - Speech Link
3: Lord Bishop of Newcastle (Bshp - Bishops) They have raised beds and greenhouses, and grow fruit and veg. - Speech Link
4: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab - Life peer) Any strategic plan to increase fruit and vegetable production, for example, needs to be coupled with - Speech Link
Apr. 04 2024
Source Page: Category A project under consideration: Electrification Project, Uíge Province, AngolaFound: , agricultural development, industrial promotion and the devel opment of economic, transport, school
Oral Evidence Mar. 21 2024
Inquiry: Food, Diet and ObesityFound: University of Liverpool, City University, and Bartle Bogle Hegarty Oral Evidence
Mentions:
1: Philip Dunne (Con - Ludlow) For example, we currently import 84% of our fruit. - Speech Link
2: Robert Goodwill (Con - Scarborough and Whitby) vegetable oil is used for diesel engines. - Speech Link
3: Jo Gideon (Con - Stoke-on-Trent Central) self-sustaining in fruit and vegetables is becoming even greater. - Speech Link
4: Steven Bonnar (SNP - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) Many exports to the EU have fallen, including a 38% fall in fruit and vegetable exports, and a 7% fall - Speech Link
Mar. 20 2024
Source Page: Tobacco and Vapes Bill: impact assessmentFound: Tobacco and Vapes Bill: impact assessment
Found: They work by heating a liquid that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/ or vegetable glycerine
Mar. 13 2024
Source Page: Scottish Health Survey and health record dataFound: Scottish Health Survey and health record data
Mar. 12 2024
Source Page: Fingermark visualisation source bookFound: vegetable spread.
Mar. 12 2024
Source Page: Fingermark visualisation source bookFound: vegetable spread.