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Even The Tatties Have Batter - Appendices |
History of the school meals service in the UK
Tim Marsh
1879 Manchester give free meals to "destitute and badly nourished children".
1889 London School Board establish a School Dinners Association. 1892 Bradford school board allows the use of school cellars for the purpose of preparing and serving dinners to poor children. 45 boards now provide school meals.
1900 Glasgow school meals service funded by special fund established by the Mayor. Meals consisted of such staples as potatoes, bread, dumplings and occasionally milk.
1904 An interdepartmental committee reported on the poor physique of volunteers during the Boer War. Compulsory education highlighted the problem of underfed children. Over 350 voluntary bodies exist to provide meals for underfed children.
1906 The Education Act empowered Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to contribute to costs incurred by school canteen committees. Boards of education given powers to provide but were not compelled, free meals to the poorest children.
1914 Provision of Meals Act gives the exchequer power to make available grants to cover half the costs of meals. However the First World War leads to a cut in the provision of free school meals from 400,000 in 1914 to 43,000 in 1918 as cuts are made.
1920 By now over one million were provided with meals.
1924 Free milk in schools introduced.
1939 Only half the education authorities (157) now provide a total of 160,000 free school meals.
1940 National policy of school meals introduced, government provided initially 700/0 of cost of meals, increased to 95% the following year, recommendations for nutritional content, staffing levels and organisation of service established. Price of school meals fixed at 5d.
1944 The 1944 Education Act required local education authorities to provide a meal for every child in a maintained school who wanted one. 1.8million children were now taking school meals.
1946 School milk provided free in all grant aided schools.
1947 The full cost of school meals is met by government.
1949 A uniform charge is placed on school meals.
1950 Price of school meals increased to 6d.
1953 Price of school meals increased to 9d.
1956 Price of school meals increased to 10d.
1957 Price of school meals increased to 1s.
1966 Circular 3/66 The Nutritional Standard of School Dinners, replaces Circular 1571 (of 1941).
1967 100 % grant for school meals expenditure withdrawn and replaced by system of general rate support.
1968 Price of school meals increased to Is 6d. First convenience foods introduced into school meals service in Liverpool. Free school milk for children in secondary schools withdrawn.
1969 Price of school meals increased to 1s 9d.
1970 5,148,000 (67.9%) of children in England and Wales and 375,000 (44%) in Scotland now have a school meal. Government announce intention to raise price of meal to 2s 10d in two stages.
1971 Price of school meals 12p. School milk withdrawn at age seven except in special circumstances.
1973 Reorganisation of local government takes place.
1975 Price of school meals increased to 15p. Report of DES working party Nutrition in Schools published.
1976 Government announces its decision to reduce the cost of school meals by £9million in 1977/78 and £36million in 1978/79.
1977 Price of school meals increased to 25p. 61.7% of all school children in England and Wales are taking a school meal on census day.
1978 EEC Scheme subsidising supply of milk to children introduced. 1979 White paper on public expenditure estimates cost of school meals at £380million, targets to reduce to £190million by reducing quality of service, increasing use of convenience foods. Price of school meals increased to 30p.
1980 The new Education Act gives LEAs power to axe school meals service. There are only two statutory requirements.
1. LEAs must ensure that children whose parents receive supplementary benefit or family income support receive a free meal.
2. Facilities must be provided for pupils who bring their own food.
Charges now range from 35p to 55p per meal, cafeterias introduced in secondary schools.
Number of children taking school meals in secondary schools drops to 41.7%, and 53.4% in secondary schools. Dorset CC votes to discontinue school meals service.
1981 CPAG publish "Badge of poverty, a new look at the stigma attached to free school meals". Lincolnshire withdraws school meals.
1982 As more budget cuts are introduced Cash Cafeterias are encouraged in Secondary schools.
1983 The DES census shows that 51.4% of pupils now have school meals, free school meals account for 15%.
1986 Local Government Act forces LEAs to put the provision of school meals out to competitive tendering. Buckinghamshire closes its service.
1988 Social Security Act 1986 comes into force. Children of parents in receipt of income support are still eligible for free school meals, those in receipt of family credit have the price of the meal included in the benefit. As a result thousands of children lose their entitlement. Number of school children having school meals now 49.4%. CPAG publish "One Good meal a Day, the loss of free school meals"
1991 The rise of compulsory competitive tendering leads to cuts in school meals services. CPAG publish "School meals, fact sheet"
1992 The further tightening of eligibility rules for income support mean that only people working under 16 hours are eligible to claim free school meals as opposed to 24 hours previously. 11 % of local authorities have ceased to provide school meals beyond their statutory requirement.
1995 The number of children taking school meals in England is now only 45%.
1999 CPAG launch School Meals Campaign with three aims.
To support the campaign CPAG publish "Filling the Gap"
2000 CPAG in Scotland form the school meals advisory group and spearhead campaign for free nutritious meals for all children in Scotland.
2000 Introduction of new nutritional standards in England.
2000 Introduction of the School Meals (Scotland) Bill into Scottish parliament which:
2001 Scottish Executive announce establishment of an expert panel to devise nutritional standards, improve appeal of school meals and maximise the uptake of free school meals.
2002 School meals bill debated in Scottish Parliament by 10 May 2002
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