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How much does a school meal cost?

Food
Funding
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The research report Cost of a School Meal arose from concerns that school meal funding has not kept up with inflation, especially with large and rapid food and labour cost increases in recent years.

The purpose of the School Food Matters project was to review data on current school meal costs, within different settings, phases and governance types, and to determine a future recommended cost of a school meal.

Findings

The research indicated that school meal costs are currently tethered to the 2023/24 FSM/UIFSM rate of £2.53, but are still at least 38p above this, revealing a major funding gap. 

This funding gap impacts in a number of ways, including the following. 

  • Schools running deficit school meal budgets.
  • Inhibiting staff recruitment, retention and development, with impacts on staff wellbeing and service delivery.
  • A lack of investment in kitchen equipment.
  • The use of lower quality ingredients to minimise costs.
  • A risk of the higher use of pre-prepared (and ultraprocessed) foods.
  • Overall risks to the quality of school meals served.

Some settings face particular challenges. Small schools (primary schools below 150 covers and secondary below 750) struggle to break even, as they can’t benefit from the economies of scale available in larger schools. Costs within SEND settings far outstrip the FSM funding rate. 

Recommendations

The report’s main finding is that a new costing model is needed, with a recommended funding rate of £3.16 per school meal. 

Other recommendations included:

  • Auto-enrolment for free school meals nationwide to improve economies of scale.
  • A ring-fenced school food budget.
  • Mandatory government buying standards and quality monitoring for school food. 
  • Support schools in delivering a ‘whole school approach to food’ and procuring appropriate resources.

Questions for reflection

  • Are the challenges raised in the Cost of a School Meal report consistent with your experience? What concerns, if any, do you have about current and future meal provision in your setting? 
  • Do you feel that relevant leaders have sufficient understanding of catering operations? Is this an area that you feel you need to learn more about? 
  • How do you see meal provision tying in with your setting’s vision, values and objectives? 

Relevant reading

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