The United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) offers free school meals to children based on specific eligibility criteria (e.g., families receiving social security) that differ depending on each administration. The education system in the United Kingdom is devolved, which means that students have different processes and mechanisms for applying for free school meals, and each country has its own set of nutrition guidelines for school food.
School Food
England has a national school meal programme that currently provides free school meals to all infant pupils in primary schools (children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2). Free meals are also available to older pupils in primary school and secondary schoolchildren whose parents receive certain social security benefits. The Department for Education is the institution responsible for regulating school meals and school food in England. Other entities such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Care contribute to the implementation of the school food policy (e.g., setting wider food health and safety guidance and regulations for food safety).
In April 2012, the Secretary of State for Education commissioned an independent review of school food, which resulted in a School Food Plan with recommendations to increase the take-up of school meals, improve the quality of school meals and teach students about food and cooking skills. Drawing on evidence from pilot schemes, it was recommended in the plan and introduced into section 106 of the Children and Families Act 2014, that younger pupils in primary school would start receiving Universal Infant Free school meals in 2014, with the Department for Education publishing annual spending guidance for this scheme.
The Department for Education is investing up to £30m in a national breakfast programme, covering the period from July 2021 to July 2024. The programme will deliver free breakfasts to children in up to 2500 schools in disadvantaged areas, helping to ensure that children continue to receive a healthy breakfast.
The School Food Plan recommended the revision of previous food standards (from 2007/2009), which had done much to remove the least nutritious foods from school lunch menus but which were considered restrictive by many school cooks. The current set of School Food Standards, which allows for greater flexibility in menu planning while preserving the nutrition quality gains made, came into force in January 2015. These mandatory standards apply to the whole school day, including breakfasts, morning breaks, tuck shops, vending machines and after-school clubs. The standards are divided into two sections: standards for school lunch and standards for school food other than lunch. They are set out in legislation, namely the requirements for school food regulations (2014), which also includes requirements for school lunches provided at pre-primary level.
The Government’s National Food Strategy (2022) sets out wide-ranging reforms to improve the UK food system, including a call for a ‘school food revolution’. This approach is further developed in the Levelling up the United Kingdom (2022) white paper, which stipulates that schools will be encouraged to complete a statement on their websites setting out their whole school approach to food; and that they will also receive greater support in procuring high-quality and value for money food, through the ‘Get Help Buying for Schools’. This service is the commercial arm of the Department for Education.
The main characteristics of the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 are summarized below:
| Users of the guidance |
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| School food covered |
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| Objectives |
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| Basis | Food-based |
| Food groups covered | Starchy foods, fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy, meat, fish, eggs, beans, and other non-dairy sources of protein, food high in fat, sugar and salt, and healthy drinks. |
| Other guidance included | They also include recommendations on good procurement and government buying standards |
Development process of the requirements for school food regulations
The compulsory Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 were developed by the Department for Education with the support of the School Food Plan standards panel following a participatory approach that included a public consultation. The standards panel comprised stakeholders from academia, researchers, catering companies, school cooks and nutritionists. The food-based standards were based on the previous nutritional standards. An evaluation of the revised food-based standards with schoolchildren and caterers found very positive results (90% of school cooks and 80% of caterers found the standards easier to understand than the previous ones). The menus tested were found to have a higher composition of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and fibre, than previous ones. There are planned updates to the standards on guidance for sugar and fibre, which have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Implementation of the requirements for school food regulations
The Department for Education, in conjunction with the authors of the School Food Plan, have developed various resources for schools on how to apply the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 to ensure that healthy options are provided to schoolchildren. These include:
There is also a Recipe Hub with over 100 recipes created by school cooks and caterers that meet the Requirements for School Food Regulations (2014). There is currently no specific training for caterers on the standards although there are several stakeholders (See list) who offer support services to schools.
Headteachers and school governors are responsible for the implementation of the standards at the school level. A Checklist for headteachers includes specific actions on improving school food culture and ensuring catering contracts meet the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 across the school day. School governors are ultimately responsible for compliance with the standards, as set out in School food: guidance for governors developed by the Department for Education. According to the Levelling Up white paper, the reporting of schools' whole school approach to food will initially be voluntary. School governors are to be given extra training on the whole school approach to food.
With regard to extracurricular implementation activities, Chefs in Schools is a charity that trains school kitchen teams and helps other schools improve the quality of school food and food education. A number of other organizations involved in similar activities are listed on the School Food Plan website at: Get help - School Food Plan.
Monitoring and Evaluation of the requirements for school food regulations
The Department for Education has developed a series of checklists for monitoring and evaluating school food (both for lunch and food other than lunch) so school caterers can assess compliance:
The Department for Education and the Food Standards Agency are piloting a joint scheme with some local authorities. Food safety officers are checking food compliance during routine school kitchen inspections and flagging potential issues of non-compliance for which schools can be supported. The results will be published in the Autumn of 2023.
The Education Policy Institute published an evaluation report on Universal Infant Free School Meals in 2018, highlighting the rapid uptake of free school meals, parental satisfaction as well as financial benefits for families. Currently, there is no plan to launch a universal school meal programme for all primary and secondary schoolchildren.
Free school meals are available for all primary schoolchildren (grades 1 to 5) at publicly-funded schools in Scotland. Free school meals remain available for students from grade 6 onwards if their families or the children meet the eligibility criteria to receive them (e.g., families receiving universal credit, income support, child tax credit, etc). School meals are also available to purchase for those students not eligible to receive free school meals.
Local authorities can offer breakfast clubs (for free, subsidized or for a fee) to primary and secondary-age schoolchildren in line with their local needs and priorities, as well as food and activities (such as sports and crafts) during holiday periods.
The Scottish government provides funding to the country’s 32 local authorities, and it is up to each of them to decide how best to spend that funding to meet their statutory duties. Each local authority has responsibility for providing catering services to schools in their area, either directly or via a third party. Children and adolescents in Scotland can purchase food from school canteens, tuck shops and vending machines, all of which must comply with statutory standards, or bring food from home.
All food and drink provided in local authority or grant-aided schools in Scotland must meet the standards set out in the Nutritional Requirements for food and drink in schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (the 2020 Regulations). The 2020 Regulations are accompanied by statutory guidance, Healthy Eating in Schools Guidance (2020), which supports implementation. The standards set out in the Regulations apply to any food provided or sold in schools (e.g., tuck shops, vending machines, after-school clubs etc.).
Key sections of the 2020 Regulations:
The main characteristics of these standards are summarized below:
| Users of the guidance |
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| School food covered | Meals provided as part of the school meal programme Foods and drink sold or provided on school premises |
| Objectives | To help providers to implement the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations (2020) |
| Basis | Nutrient-based for school lunches, food and drink standards across the whole school day |
| Food groups covered | Staples & cereals, fruit and vegetables, beans, pulses, fish, eggs & other protein; and dairy and alternatives |
| Other guidance included | Recommendations on considering the role food plays in cultural traditions, religious beliefs and faiths |
Education authorities must also ensure that schools are health-promoting, as set out in the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000. Local authorities, supported by Scotland Excel (a non-governmental organization), are committed to using local and sustainable produce in school catering wherever possible.
Development process of the Nutritional Requirements for food and drink in schools
The 2020 Regulations were developed with input from NHS Health Scotland, Education Scotland, Food Standards Scotland and local authority partners. They were also consulted publicly and informed by a project that sought the views of children and young people. The Regulations are based on scientific evidence and dietary advice and designed to ensure children and young people are provided with an appropriate amount of energy and key nutrients, as part of their school day, to support healthy growth and development.
Food and drink provision in schools in the country has been transformed since the introduction of the Hungry for Success initiative in 2003, which paved the way for the introduction of statutory food and drink standards in primary and secondary schools (Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008). With extensive stakeholder collaboration, the standards were updated in 2020 to include a number of key changes aimed at strengthening nutrition and reflecting new guidance on energy and nutrient requirements for school-age children and young people, as set out by two main committees: the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy report (Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom) and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition reports (Carbohydrates and Health; Dietary Reference Values for Energy; and Salt and Health).
Local authorities and caterers develop menus aligned with the 2020 Regulations and are encouraged to involve students, parents, school staff and catering staff in this process. The menus vary by council and change seasonally.
Examples of menus designed by the Scottish Borders Council local authority include:
Scottish Borders Council. School meals
Scottish Borders Council. Sample menu for Nursery/Primary school
- Scottish Borders Council. Sample menu Secondary school (4-week cycle)
Implementation of the Nutritional Requirements for food and drink in schools
Each local authority is under a statutory duty to ensure that the food and drink in their schools comply with the 2020 Regulations.
Monitoring and Evaluation of the Nutritional Requirements for food and drink in schools
Education Scotland’s Health and Nutrition Inspectors are responsible for monitoring compliance with the 2020 Regulations and other school food-related duties. They do this via a programme of inspections throughout the school year. During these visits, the inspectors speak to a range of stakeholders, including children, parents, teachers and caterers. Reports are shared with head teachers and catering managers to highlight strengths and areas for improvement; while there is a formal process in place for instances of significant non-compliance, it has not been necessary to use this to date thanks to positive working relationships with local authorities.
A self-evaluation framework enables individual schools to assess their performance at regular intervals for identifying areas for improvement.
Go to the Summary of the Standards
Links
Nutritional Analysis Manual: https://education.gov.scot/media/jrynk5w0/nutritional-analysis-manual-040921a.pdf
Food in schools across Scotland: A self-evaluation resource: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/self-evaluation/food-in-schools-across-scotland-a-self-evaluation-resource/
Better eating, better learning: a new context for school food: https://www.gov.scot/publications/better-eating-better-learning-new-context-school-food/
Parent’s Club: All about school meals: https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/all-about-school-meals
Northern Ireland has a school meal programme that provides a daily lunch for students from pre-primary to secondary school level. School meals are free for students from low-income families that meet eligibility criteria. Compulsory Nutritional Standards for School Lunches were introduced in 2007, followed by Nutritional Standards for Other Food and Drinks in Schools in 2008 which the Department of Education is seeking to make mandatory in all schools. This would ensure the nutrition standards will apply to all food (such as in vending machines and tuck shops) available in all schools. Both sets of standards were launched as part of the School Food: Top Marks programme, a collaboration between the Department of Education, the Department of Health and the Public Health Agency to ensure that all food and drink provided in schools contributes to improved child and adolescent nutrition.
In 2013, the Departments of Education and Health developed the Food in Schools Policy. This is an overarching policy underpinned by a ‘whole-school approach’ to school food and nutrition education. The policy recognised that all food and drinks provided in the school setting needed to meet the nutrition standards, including food and drink in vending machines, tuck shops, and provided by breakfast clubs and after-school clubs.
A review of the 2007-2008 standards was completed in 2021 but the implementation of the changes has been delayed pending the availability of funding. Until then, the 2007-2008 standards remain in place.
The main characteristics of the 2007-2008 standards for school lunches are summarised below:
| Users of the guidance |
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| School food covered |
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| Basis | Food-Based standards |
| Food groups covered | Starchy foods, fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy, meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein, food high in fat, sugar and salt, and healthy drinks |
Development process of the Nutritional Standards for school lunches
The development of the current nutritional standards (implemented in 2007), was informed by the completion of a pilot project in 2004 in around 100 schools to examine how best to improve the nutritional standards of school meals. This involved representation from the Department of Education, the Department of Health, catering staff from the five Education and Library Boards (later to merge to form a single Education Authority), participating schools and other relevant health bodies. Evaluation of the pilot project resulted in a number of recommendations on how best to implement nutritional standards in schools.
Following the completion of the evaluation, in 2006, a public consultation was undertaken on new, updated nutritional standards for school meals and extending the scope of the nutritional standards to cover other food provisions in schools. Taking into account the feedback received in this consultation, the Department of Education worked with health and catering professionals to finalise these standards and they came into effect from September 2007. The Food in Schools Policy (2013) was jointly developed by the Departments of Education and Health in partnership with stakeholders such as the Public Health Agency, the Food Standards Agency and the Education Authority. Both departments have continued to work closely with schools, key partner organizations and agencies over several years to improve the nutritional standards of food provided in schools.
In 2021, a working group of health and education experts completed a review of the 2007-2008 nutrition standards for school food to reflect current government guidance on healthy eating (i.e. the Eatwell Guide). The revised (2021) standards include increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables and fibre, and reducing the amount of fat, salt, sugar and processed red meat. The Department of Education plans to roll out these updated standards when there is available funding.
Implementation of the Nutritional Standards for school lunches
The Education Authority in Northern Ireland is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school meals service in most schools and provides professional support and advice to others when requested and resources permit. Training modules, which also focus on nutrition standards, are available online for all catering staff. The training programme is led by the Education Authority; specialist training, such as on allergen management, is also available.
Monitoring and Evaluation of the Nutritional Standards for school lunches
The monitoring of the implementation of the nutrition standards is outlined in the Food in Schools policy (2013), yet monitoring structures have changed since the policy was published. However, the Education Authority and schools continue to be supported in complying with the standards by the regional Food in Schools Coordinator, a nutritionist jointly funded by the Departments of Education and Health. Resources developed under the School Food: Top Marks programme are also available for this purpose.
Currently, the Education Authority school catering service operates a system of self-monitoring on compliance with the nutritional standards against a checklist. The Education Authority then regularly reports to the Department of Education; this includes highlighting examples of good practices and barriers to implementing the nutritional standards.
The Education Authority has also rolled out standardised menus for all primary schools. These menus are developed in line with nutritional standards and checked for compliance by the regional Food in Schools Coordinator. The menus are accompanied by recipes and portion sizes to ensure consistency.
Go to the Summary of the Standards
Links
- Public Health Agency: Nutritional Standards for School Lunches - A Guide for Implementation (2009)
- Public Health Agency: Nutritional Standards for Other Food and Drinks in Schools - A Guide for Implementation (2009)
- School food: the essential guide – a series of practical guidance booklets for healthier breakfast clubs, healthier vending machines, improving the dining experience, etc.
- Are You Packing a Healthy Lunch? – a leaflet for parents of primary school-age children
- Guidance on Healthy breaks for pre-schoolchildren
School-Based Food and Nutrition Education
In England, Cooking and Nutrition is a distinct strand within the compulsory subject for 5-to-14-year-olds —Design and Technology. Food education is also taught through the subjects of Science and Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. In Science, the focus is on understanding aspects of human nutrition and digestion, whereas PSHE focuses on health within a wider context of well-being and making food choices, and includes a healthy-eating module that is statutory at primary and secondary school levels.
Food and nutrition contents are also integrated in a cross-curricular approach, including in Geography (where food grows, aspects relating to sustainability and resources) and History (how food choices and consumption have changed over time). In secondary school, students have the option of pursuing a Food Preparation and Nutrition General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) as a separate subject.
As part of extracurricular activities carried out by the Department for Education, both primary and secondary schoolchildren will have the opportunity to learn about food and nutrition through the Climate Leaders’ Award, due to be rolled out in Autumn 2023. The award aims to encourage students to develop skills and knowledge in biodiversity and sustainability, including the impact of food choices on the environment and the human body.
| Main targets |
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| Main educators |
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| Integration within the school curriculum | As part of one subject:
As part of broader health education:
Transversally in the school curriculum. Through extracurricular activities. |
Development
Cooking and Nutrition was introduced in 2014 as a strand within the Design and Technology, following a curriculum revision by the Department for Education. The current national curriculum details the standards that children should achieve in each subject in state schools. The Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE was developed through a consultation with a panel of experts, with the Department for Education overseeing the process.
There are no current plans to revise the 2014 national curriculum in England.
Implementation
The Department for Education is the main entity responsible for implementing the curriculum; with subject teachers as the main front-line educators. Individual teachers and schools interpret and deliver the curriculum by devising their own lesson plans.
The main content and learning objectives addressed in the Cooking and Nutrition curriculum are:
Key stage 1 (5-7 years)
Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes.
Understand where food comes from.
Key stage 2 (7-11 years)
Understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet.
Prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques.
Understand seasonality, and know where and how various ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Key stage 3 (11-14 years)
Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health.
Cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet.
Become competent in a range of cooking techniques e.g., selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes.
Understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients.
The main topics addressed in the Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE are:
Even though there is no formal, centrally organised professional support for food education, a number of organizations support food education in schools and provide resources, such as Let’s Get Cooking by the Children’s Food Trust (now run by the British Dieticians Association), the Food for Life programme by the Soil Association, and Food - a fact of life by the British Nutrition Foundation. The Countryside Classroom portal also provides resources from multiple organizations, focused on food, farming and outdoor learning, and the Food Teachers Centre has resources and examples of extracurricular food education projects. Public Health England’s Change 4 Life campaign hosts Schoolzone resources on its website
Monitoring and Evaluation
A report on the Food Education Learning Landscape (2017) found that the national curriculum guidelines are broadly implemented; however, there is great variation in the quantity (frequency and duration), content and quality of children and young people’s food learning opportunities. According to the report, more than half of primary school pupils receive less than 10 hours a year and at secondary, more than three in five schools deliver less than 20 hours a year. Although most primary and secondary pupils are aware of the principles of healthy eating, depth of knowledge varies considerably, and there is concern that each key stage repeats, rather than builds on, prior learning. Food teachers reported that they were heavily constrained in delivering food education by a lack of training, time, budget and facilities.
The assessment of food competencies and achievements is done as part of the specific evaluation of each subject (e.g., examinations, activities in school, homework, etc.). For instance, the Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE includes both written examinations and practical assessments (e.g., preparing a meal). There is no specific assessment to measure pupils’ cooking skills for the Cooking and Nutrition stream.
Recommendation 3 from the National Food Strategy (2021) encourages the Department of Education to launch a new “Eat and Learn” initiative for all children aged 3 to 18, in partnership with the new Office of Health Promotion. This would include strengthening monitoring and evaluation, with the school inspection body (Ofsted) assessing the quality of food and nutrition lessons with the same rigour as they do for other subjects, but there are no current plans to do this.
Links
Scotland has food and nutrition education embedded within the school curriculum since the provision of both school food and food and health education are under the remit of the Learning Directorate within Education Scotland.
The Scottish school curriculum, known as the Curriculum for Excellence, is divided into eight curriculum areas, one of which is Health and Wellbeing. This strand sets out experiences and outcomes for students over the course of their schooling, e.g., at pre-primary and primary levels, children learn about different food tastes and textures and the importance of having a nutritious diet. This will progress as they get older to learn about sustainability, how to read food labels and different diets for different life stages etc.
The Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing experiences and outcomes are mainly delivered through a multi-disciplinary approach in pre-primary and primary school settings, allowing food and health to be taught across a range of subjects e.g., food journeys from farm to plate.
Food and Health are also taught in specific subjects such as Home Economics in secondary school. In Home Economics classes, children may be taught how to cook, how to purchase food, and how to balance budgets when they are purchasing food. The Health and Wellbeing curriculum aims to provide them with a comprehensive view of food and health in general, and what impact their food choices will have on their health, not just physical, but also mental and social health and how their choices affect the economy.
| Main targets |
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| Main educators |
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| Integration within the school curriculum |
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Development
The Health and Wellbeing core discipline was developed by Education Scotland in 2007 as part of the Curriculum for Excellence. The curriculum was developed with a holistic focus to ensure consistency in messaging between the curriculum, in particular the subject of Food and Health, and the school food environment, including what was being served in canteens and sold in vending machines etc.
Implementation
Each local authority is responsible for delivering the Curriculum for Excellence in the schools in their area. Teachers are the main frontline educators.
The main topics addressed in the Health and Wellbeing curriculum include:
- The food experience
- Developing healthy choices
- Nutritional needs
- Keeping safe and hygienic
- The journey of food
- Food and textile technologies
Education Scotland has a food education resources website with materials, information and lesson plans for teachers to access.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The monitoring and evaluation of food and health education in the curriculum is mainly carried out through benchmarks. These have been developed as national standards for each curriculum area at each level, with skills development integrated into the benchmarks e.g. Food and Health benchmarks. School staff monitor and report on the benchmarks throughout the school year.
Alongside the curriculum, Health and Wellbeing has several separate experiences and outcomes that are the responsibility of all staff working with children and young people. Health and Wellbeing responsibilities are divided into different sections that incorporate mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing.
Education Scotland school Inspectors carry out inspections across the school year. Inspection reports are shared with the schools and made publicly available on the Education Scotland website.
Relevant Links
- Food for Thought Education Fund 2022 - 2023 | What we do | Education Scotland
- Food in schools across Scotland: A self-evaluation resource | Self-evaluation | National Improvement Hub (education.gov.scot)
- National Improvement Hub | National Improvement Hub (education.gov.scot)
- Curriculum for Excellence Benchmarks | Learning resources | National Improvement Hub (education.gov.scot)
- What is Curriculum for Excellence? | Curriculum for Excellence | Policy drivers | Policy for Scottish education | Scottish education system | Education Scotland
- Health and wellbeing: Experiences and outcomes (education.gov.scot)
- National Improvement Framework (NIF) - Schools
- Pupil attainment: closing the gap - Schools
In Northern Ireland, nutrition education is integrated across various subjects, mainly in the ‘Personal Development and Mutual Understanding’ learning area for primary school, and in the Home Economics strand of the ‘Learning for Life and Work’ area for secondary school. Nutrition contents are also integrated in Biology for grades 6–8 (for ages 11-14) and 9–10 (ages 15-16). In addition, food and nutrition are explicitly covered by the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) of Home Economics (ages 15-16), and by the Advanced Level (A level) in Nutrition and Food Science (for ages 17-18). Food and nutrition contents are also integrated in extracurricular activities, such as school gardens, school visits to community vegetable gardens and so on.
| Main targets |
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| Main educators |
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| Integration within the school curriculum |
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Development
The school curriculum (2005/06) was developed by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, a public body of the Department of Education and provides opportunities for schools to educate students on food nutrition and healthy eating in the subjects where it is included. In the case of the Personal Development and Mutual Understanding area of learning at the primary level and the Learning for Life and Work area of learning at the secondary level, these are statutory elements within the Northern Ireland curriculum, while the “GCSE Home Economics: Food and Nutrition” and the advanced level (A level) in Nutrition and food sciences are elective subjects.
Other actors involved include the Education and Training Inspectorate, the Education Authority and teachers, however, schools are responsible for determining which resources or programmes (e.g.: educational programmes on nutrition from health and education partners or voluntary organizations) to use to support the delivery of the curriculum. The curriculum is reviewed based on needs and resource availability.
Implementation
The Department of Education is primarily responsible for implementing the curriculum. The Curriculum Council and the Education Authority also produce support materials for schools and professional learning for teachers to aid the implementation of the curriculum. Teachers and school leaders are the main front-line educators.
The Home Economics strand of the Learning for Life and Work area aims to equip pupils with the core knowledge, skills and values to help them make healthy lifestyle choices, including food choices. For instance, pupils aged 11-14 explore planning, storing, preparing and cooking a range of meals, and develop practical skills related to the safe, hygienic, healthy and creative use of foods, while in Biology, the same age group learns about a healthy body and mind.
The main relevant topics addressed in “GCSE Home Economics: food and nutrition” include food provenance, food processing and production, macronutrients and micronutrients, national dietary guidelines, and food safety. Students develop practical skills in food preparation, cooking, making healthy food choices, applying food safety guidelines and managing household budgets.
To support schools in implementing the curriculum, the Curriculum Council develops and produces curricular guidance and teaching support materials. These resources are available on the Curriculum Council’s Wellbeing Hub | CCEA, and address the issues of obesity, over-consumption of junk food and general health. The hub also hosts materials for promoting exercise, healthy eating and healthy lifestyle habits. Some of the main goals include developing skills in planning, preparing and cooking nutritious meals, and exploring ways to achieve a healthy diet.
The nature of food and nutrition extracurricular activities depends on each school as they manage their own budgets. Usually, they entail the setting of pedagogic school gardens, visiting community gardens or local food manufacturing companies, and so on.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Department of Education, through the Education and Training Inspectorate, is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the teaching and learning associated with food and nutrition education in the curriculum. Food competencies and achievements are assessed in line with specific evaluations for each subject (e.g. examinations, activities in school, homework, etc.). For instance, the “GCSE Home Economics: food and nutrition” and Nutrition and Food Science A levels include both written examinations and practical assessments (e.g. preparing a meal).
Publications
The following case studies were prepared by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an initiative of the School Meals Coalition.
UK School Meals Case Study: Four Pager
Prepared by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an initiative of the School Meals Coalition
School Meals Case Study: England
Prepared by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an initiative of the School Meals Coalition
School Meals Case Study: Northern Ireland
Prepared by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an initiative of the School Meals Coalition
School Meals Case Study: Scotland
Prepared by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an initiative of the School Meals Coalition
School Meals Case Study: Wales
Prepared by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, an initiative of the School Meals Coalition
Videos
The School Food Plan
11/07/2013
Henry Dimbleby & John Vincent explain the thinking and actions behind their School Food Plan