“School food is an important part of children’s educational experience.
School lunches can be the fuel that helps children to learn, and much
resource has been devoted to researching the impact of food and
nutrition on children’s education.
More than that, lunchtimes are an
important social event in the school day. For all children, time with
their peers is a formative part of the school experience. Lunchtimes
can be valuable times for children to socialise and build friendships,
but they can also exacerbate the anxieties and tensions children feel
through stigma and social exclusion.”
Through our work with the All Party Parliamentary Group for School Food, we’re pleased to share a joint report commissioned by the National Education Union and the Child Poverty Action Group titled ‘The Universalism Multiplier’.
This report, which specifically focused on the experiences of parents and teachers of the Mayor of London’s ongoing Universal Free School Meals scheme, shines a fantastic light on the breadth of change that a universal school meal offer brings to school settings and family households.
Key benefits of Universal Free School Meals are:
1. Financial and psychological security
2. Improved nutrition and school engagement
3. Reduction in stigma and social exclusion
4. Improved home/school relationships
5. Changed eating habits
6. A richer school life.
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