There's been a lot work done to help children eat well and improve their performance at school (including the Eat Better, Do Better campaign from the School Food trust), in part driven by the celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver.
I've been looking at the figures for School Meal uptake in the Borough and in the Redlands primary schools, and while we are moving forward, there is still alot of work to do. In some primary schools less than 1 in 6 pupils take a school meal: for schools in or near Redlands it's 1 in 3, compared with just under half nationally.
The reason this is important is that a school meal may be the only opportunity a child has to eat properly, given disrupted home lives. It's also a way for them to socialise with their peers and form connections. Speaking personally, I was never much for playground games: I preferred to sit and talk with friends.
So, pats on the backs for those schools making progress on this (and there are a few in the borough). But many have a great deal to do, and there is a real need to invest in local schools to give them the facilities they need to feed the children they care for.
As things get tighter economically, keeping our children fed properly will become even more important.
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