1 Market Research Report 2013School Meals & Daily Life Issues

2 CONTENTS Overview Results and Findings Appendix Recap 2011 and 2012Executive Summary Overview (Sample Size) Results and Findings Information and Payment The Current School Meals Service Educating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy Appendix Flavoured Milk

3 RECAP 2011 Th Many parents whose children are eligible for free school meals are still not claiming their entitlement Schools and school caterers should be utilising new technology such as online payment and the new tools of digital marketing to help them engage with parents. Overall satisfaction levels are high which is a reflection of the fact that parents have acknowledged the positive work that has been carried out to improve the school catering service. It is vital that educating children about food is part of the National Curriculum as it will encourage healthier lifestyles. Children need to be better informed about healthy eating and exercise

4 RECAP 2012 Children are still arriving at school hungry.Nutritional Standards should be introduced for all schools and monitored by an independent body. The importance of new media for school caterers to increase school meal take up and engage with parents. Overall satisfaction levels had increased since 2011. Parents want pupils to remain on the school premises at lunchtime to discourage take up of unhealthy food. Staggered lunch times should be implemented to reduce queuing. Discrepancy of responses around the links between food and good health as parents feel that there are too many sources of information and receive mixed messages.

5 KEY HEADLINES 2013 Satisfaction levels remain high but levels and frequency of school meal take up has fallen for the first time since 2011. As the economy continues to have an impact on struggling families, expectations for schools to provide a wider catering service are rising. Policies of free school meals and compliance with Nutritional Guidelines are welcomed by parents. Focus on healthy eating is driving increased awareness of nutrition, ingredients and sourcing and the demand for ‘better’ information. Staggered lunch times will improve the dining experience by reducing queuing, reducing food wastage and encouraging school meal take up. Educating children about food should be incorporated into the National Curriculum.

6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Satisfaction levels and frequency of school meal take up falls In comparison to the last two years, while overall satisfaction levels remain high, the results of the 2013 survey reveal that levels have fallen by 0.6% since Subsequent analysis of the service standards ratings have showed that across practically all measures, the numbers of respondents who rated them as “good” or “OK” have decreased. These decreases are particularly notable when parents were asked to rate food quality and value for money. The proportion of respondents who rated food quality as “good” or “OK” has fallen by 5.2% since the last survey. A combination of factors which have implicated the food industry as a whole and highlighted issues such as a lack of transparency and general mistrust in supply chains, has meant that overall expectations of food quality are higher than they used to be. The horsemeat scandal, for example, which emerged at the beginning of 2013, did not just impact upon the larger retailers, but the education sector was also affected culminating in extensive product recalls. While this impacted on local authorities who outsource their catering provision, it also had an impact on those authorities who provided the services ‘in house’. In addition to this, parents have more information at their disposal than ever before and because they are better informed, their expectations are higher. The value for money indicator remained consistent over 2011 and 2012, however in 2013 there was a decrease of 8.8% in the number of respondents who rated this as “good” or “OK”. The cost of school meals has risen with more parents paying over £2.00 and the impact of the economic crisis has meant that many families continue to struggle financially despite signs that the economy is beginning to recover. In addition, the continued rise of food prices, energy prices and inflation combined with wage stagnation has meant that perceptions of value for money have fallen. As a result the frequency of overall meal take up has fallen from 3.8 times a week in 2012 to 3.7 times per week this year. The number of children who are eligible for free school meals has shown a slight decrease this year despite the challenging economic climate continuing to have an impact upon families. The introduction of Universal Credit means that the current entitlement criteria will no longer apply to children in nurseries or pupils in year 3 or above. New criteria is currently being established in conjunction with local authorities, however, it is unclear at this stage as to the effect it will have on future eligibility for free school meals.

7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Parents expect a wider catering provision as extra funding is allocated to provide a breakfast service Despite the slight decrease in the take up of school meals at lunchtime, expectations for schools to provide additional catering services have risen. The type of catering services that are proving the most popular among parents include breakfast, mid morning snacks and cooked snacks at an after school club. The current economic climate is seeing many parents working longer hours, which often means early starts, late finishes and / or changing shift patterns and the issue of care before and after hours has been a cause of concern for parents for a long time. In the early 1990’s, there was an unprecedented expansion in out-of-school care, with the number of schemes increasing from several hundred to an estimated 5,000 in England by But a lack of support and sustainability has led to many closures of breakfast clubs and play schemes. A report by Kellogg’s entitled ‘Lost Education’, which was published in 2013 highlighted how a quarter of state funded school teachers had seen an increase in the numbers of children arriving at school who have not eaten breakfast. This is also indicative of the results in 2013 which also reveal an increase in numbers. Parents are becoming increasingly reliant on breakfast clubs as food inflation continues to rise and family incomes stagnate. One of the recommendations of the School Food Plan is to allocate extra funding to the breakfast service and the Government has committed £3.15m for this purpose.

8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Policies of free school meals and nutritional guidelines compliance are welcomed by parents The School Food Plan published by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent in July 2013 is the outcome of a review of school food commissioned by the Department of Education. The report aims to deliver a plan to increase the quality and take up of school meals, develop a whole-school food culture in every school and get children more involved in food and cooking. A key recommendation of this plan is the provision of free school meals to every child in reception, year 1 and year 2 from September 2014 which the government has agreed to implement. The aim is to improve academic attainment and save families money at a time when many are struggling. In addition, the current eligibility criteria for free school meal entitlement is insufficient as it excludes many children currently living in poverty. This has understandably been welcomed by parents overall but the government has been criticised for not extending this policy to pupils of all ages. Parents are now more in agreement with the policy that all schools should comply with the Nutritional Guidelines which are set by the government. Currently these standards do not apply to academies and free schools who can choose to comply if they wish, but are not legally required to. The government has been criticised about its policies on academies and free schools which range from the recruitment of untrained teachers to poor food quality. This has become a cause of concern for many parents as the results from the survey showed there was an increase this year in the number of parents who knew if their child’s school abided by Nutritional Guidelines. This is another recommendation that has emerged from the School Food Plan which highlighted that without legal constraints, it is likely that standards could begin to slip. A new set of standards are currently in development in conjunction with the Medical Research Council, and once implemented, will be mandatory for all schools.

9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Focus on healthy eating is driving increased awareness about nutrition, ingredients and sourcing and demand for ‘better’ information The focus on healthy eating and increased awareness around what constitutes good nutrition is driving the information requirements of parents. In addition, parents are more concerned about the ingredients used in the preparation of school meals. This figure actually fell in 2012, but rose again in 2013 which is an indication of the impact that the recent food scares have had on perceptions of trust across the population as a whole. There were also incidences in some schools where halal meat had been found to contain up to 50% pork. This only served to aggravate any existing mistrust issues, as if a product as specific as halal meat had been compromised in terms of ingredients content, then it was highly likely that this would extend to a whole range of more generic products. The consequences of these food scandals has meant that people are demanding more transparency regarding the food supply chains and are becoming more aware of the importance of provenance and local sourcing. In addition, as the economic climate continues to have a impact on small businesses, local sourcing is seen as an effective means of boosting the UK economy. While many of the largest retailers share prices fell and lost footfall as a result of the horsemeat scandal, it was the smaller, independent stores which gained momentum as a result of their purchasing and sourcing strategies. This is an area which school caterers will need to consider when making their own purchasing decisions. It is clearly something which is of growing importance to parents as in this survey, 13% of them specifically mentioned local sourcing as an area for improvement. Concerns about the rising levels of obesity in young children is also driving a renewed focus on healthy eating. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regards childhood obesity as one of the most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century. The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) measures the height and weight of around one million schoolchildren in England every year, providing a detailed picture of the prevalence of child obesity.

10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Focus on healthy eating is driving increased awareness about nutrition, ingredients and sourcing and demand for ‘better’ information (Continued.) The latest figures for 2011/2012 show that 19.2% of children in year 6 (aged 10-11) were obese and a further 14.7% were overweight. Of children in Reception (aged 4-5), 9.5% were obese and another 13.1% were overweight. This equates to a third of year olds and over a fifth of 4-5 year olds classed as obese or overweight. More parents in 2013 than in 2011 or 2012 wanted to receive information which related to healthy eating and the nutritional content of food. This indicates that messages around obesity are beginning to have an effect, particularly those relating to health and the subsequent impact upon future life chances and opportunities. While steps have been taken to enforce good nutrition messages in schools, for example, banning junk food, more needs to be done to educate and inform about the importance of eating healthily. This is a recommendation of the School Food Plan where the authors have highlighted that only 1% of packed lunches meet the nutritional requirements currently applied to school meals. In addition, they emphasise the importance of the take up of school meals to address this issue and to avoid the onset of unhealthy eating habits from a young age. Parents are also demanding ‘better’ information particularly about the link between food and good health. Many parents feel that while they have enough information at their disposal, they are receiving mixed messages about what constitutes ‘good’ and ‘bad’ food and in particular, what the experts say is good for us. This is reflected in the fact that less parents in 2013 than in 2011 or 2012 are using a search engine to access information, but more are utilising the Change4Life website. Parents are looking for information which is consistent and by using one trusted information source they feel that they are less likely to receive conflicting messages.

11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Staggered lunchtimes will drive a positive dining experience This remains the most popular policy among parents for improving school meals particularly in secondary schools. It is not evident in many schools and it is the main reason that deters pupils from choosing school meals. The incorporation of staggered lunchtimes will not only reduce queuing but it will also help to reduce food waste. Time pressures can result in food being thrown away in both primary and secondary schools as sometimes schoolchildren spend so long queuing that they do not have enough time to finish their meal. The dining experience becomes a logistical exercise rather than a sociable event where food is valued and enjoyed. In addition, due to the overcapacity issues which are prevalent in many schools and the subsequent impact on available teaching space, many children have to finish their meals quickly to allow the dining hall to be cleared to incorporate afternoon lessons. In primary schools in particular where there is more interaction with teachers and pupils at lunchtime, the result of queuing means that teachers have less time to spend with children and cannot encourage them to eat their meals, which can result in more food going to waste. The introduction of staggered lunchtimes will also drive an increase in the take up of school meals, ensuring that extra revenue will go into the school food system. If school caterers wish to increase the number of children choosing school meals, then this will need to be addressed. Many parents commented on the dining room environment specifically when they were asked if there were any other changes or improvements that schools could make to the catering service. In addition to staggered lunchtimes, they were also concerned that dining rooms were too small overall and the lunchtime period itself was simply not long enough. Improving the dining experience will also have a positive impact on the educational performance and behaviour of children as the provision of a calmer and more enjoyable environment will mean that they are better prepared for afternoon lessons.

12 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Educating children about food should be incorporated into the National Curriculum As well as parents wanting to receive more information relating to ingredients and nutrition, they also want their children to be better informed about food. When parents were asked which ideas relating to food education that they would like to see incorporated into the National Curriculum, a consistently high proportion were all in agreement with education around sourcing, seasonality, cooking and growing food. This is also a key recommendation that has emerged from the School Food Plan which the government has acted upon and cooking lessons are to be a part of the National Curriculum for all children up until the age of 14. According to the authors, the new curriculum will focus on the importance of understanding the origins of food and the preparation and cooking of nutritious meals. However, despite the fact that a very large number of parents want to see ideas relating to food education included in the National Curriculum, they agreed more with the idea that teachers must have access to good education resources in order to deliver it, which implies that currently they think this is an area for improvement. Similarly to 2011 and 2012, the survey also included some specific questions relating to diet and lifestyle in order to get a snapshot of consumption levels of particular food types and exercise and activity levels. The results showed that children are still not eating enough fruit and vegetables and that consumption of chips has actually increased since 2012. In addition, exercise levels have also fallen slightly since 2012 to 58.7 minutes per day with boys exercising more than girls. This mirrors the findings of a report published by the BMJ Open in August 2013 which found that girls were significantly less active in comparison to boys. Many health professionals feel that schools should be doing more to address this by offering a wider variety of sporting activities to encourage take up.

13 SAMPLE SIZE BY AGE The numbers of primary school children have been increasing over the last two years and according to the Department of Education are set to rise by 18% in the next eight years. The 2012 figures showed that by 2020, primary pupil numbers are expected to rise to 4,850,000. Projections produced by the Office for National Statistics show that in the next three years alone, primary pupil numbers are predicted to increase by 8%, which is equivalent to an extra 326,000 children. At the same time, pupil numbers in secondary schools are expected to fall until 2015, when they will start to rise again as primary age pupils move up. The rise in primary and nursery pupils is largely the result of a demographic bulge caused by a mini baby boom, after declining pupil numbers in the early 2000s. The situation is set to continue as the National Audit Office have forecast that admissions would rise by another 240,000 in September 2013. The rise in pupil numbers is expected to place further pressure on schools as there is already a shortage of places. This has led to some schools having to convert non-classroom space, such as music rooms and libraries into classrooms. It is anticipated that class sizes will continue to grow above the statutory 30 pupils per class in order to meet this demand in the short term. As pupil numbers continue to rise, this will place increased pressure on existing schools where overcapacity is already commonplace. In addition, the rise in numbers is also expected to have an impact upon catering facilities and the ability of schools to deliver a high quality dining experience. What age is your oldest child?

14 AGE GROUP BY REGION Age Group Anglia Borders Central Channel GranadaLondon Meridian STV Central 5 to 6 23.1% 6.4% 26.5% 32.9% 21.0% 20.1% 16.6% 22.6% 7 to 9 9.7% 13.6% 14.5% 19.5% 10.6% 11.1% 11.6% 8.6% 10 to 11 10.5% 15.5% 13.9% 13.4% 10.3% 11.7% 17.2% 11 to 12 28.1% 34.5% 21.4% 14.6% 25.5% 28.2% 29.7% 19.4% 13 to 15 22.2% 27.3% 22.8% 20.7% 23.3% 23.7% 16 to 17 3.7% 0.9% 4.1% 4.9% 5.2% 5.4% Over 17 2.8% 1.8% 2.3% 2.4% 4.5% 3.0% 3.2% Age Group STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire 5 to 6 20.0% 17.0% 3.3% 8.4% 26.3% 25.3% 10.7% 23.9% 7 to 9 10.0% 12.4% 4.9% 8.7% 19.1% 16.8% 2.7% 12.9% 10 to 11 12.5% 14.6% 13.2% 14.9% 6.7% 13.4% 11 to 12 39.3% 36.2% 19.7% 20.1% 45.3% 22.7% 13 to 15 23.0% 31.1% 29.1% 15.5% 19.3% 16 to 17 3.0% 13.1% 5.5% 3.9% 4.4% 4.0% Over 17 3.7% 3.2% 2.9% 9.3% 3.8%

15 SAMPLE SIZE BY SCHOOL TYPEThe profile of respondents between the different types of schools in the UK is a reflection of the current education structure, particularly in England. The number of respondents in the state maintained sector has fallen since 2012 while the numbers of pupils who attend an academy have risen. This trend is expected to continue as more primary and secondary schools convert to academies. Originally introduced by Labour in a bid to improve struggling schools, the academy programme has since been altered and accelerated by the coalition government. All primary and secondary schools can apply to convert to academy status and the programme is designed to drive up standards by putting more power in the hands of head teachers. As at November 2012, there were 2,456 academies open in England, a dramatic increase from 203 in May 2010. The government’s free school programme is also expected to drive further reductions in the proportion of respondents who remain in the state maintained sector. Since September 2011, more than 170 free schools have opened across England. New openings are set to increase as a response to the rise in demand for primary school places in particular. Free schools are an attractive option for parents and local community groups who apply to set them up as they operate outside local authority control. They can currently exercise discretion over curriculum content and do not need to adhere to the Nutritional Guidelines when providing school meals. What type of school does your oldest child attend?

16 SCHOOL TYPE BY REGION School Type Anglia Borders Central ChannelGranada London Meridian STV Central State Maintained 42.1% 22.7% 54.8% 42.7% 52.8% 46.3% 57.7% 38.7% Academies 40.4% 57.3% 29.3% 17.1% 30.5% 29.7% 22.6% Free Schools 9.8% 10.0% 7.5% 28.0% 11.1% 4.3% 12.9% Other 7.7% 8.4% 12.2% 7.9% 12.1% 8.3% 25.8% School Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire State Maintained 47.5% 47.1% 37.7% 79.6% 56.6% 52.3% 9.3% 57.6% Academies 22.5% 38.8% 19.7% 1.0% 27.7% 34.7% 77.3% 26.1% Free Schools 7.9% 13.1% 10.7% 6.1% 2.7% 9.7% Other 7.5% 29.5% 8.7% 6.9% 6.7%

17 SAMPLE SIZE BY REGION & GENDER2011 2012 2013 Anglia 10.5% 10.7% 9.9% Border 0.5% 0.6% 0.8% Central 12.1% 15.0% 17.0% Channel N/A 0.4% Granada 7.9% 11.0% 9.0% London 27.6% 27.8% 22.9% Meridian 6.9% 7.1% 7.5% STV Central 1.9% 0.7% STV North 0.3% Tyne Tees 6.1% 4.5% 5.4% UTV Wales 2.8% 1.5% 2.3% West 4.3% West Country 5.8% 3.8% 5.5% YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire 10.4% 12.0% 13.0% NB: YTV Lincolnshire was not included as a region in historical research What is the gender of your child? Which TV region are you in (the regional channel you usually watch)?

18 Free school meal entitlement falls slightly along with frequency of school meal take upThe number of parents who say that their children are entitled to free school meals has fallen since This is surprising especially when considering the financial difficulties which many families are currently facing and the impact that this has had on children’s diets. However, the introduction of Universal Credit means that the current entitlement criteria will no longer apply to children in nurseries or pupils in year 3 or above. New criteria is currently being established in conjunction with local authorities, however, it is unclear at this stage as to the effect it will have on future eligibility for free school meals. Free meal entitlement is still higher among secondary school pupils (8.6%) but it still represents a significant decrease from 2012 (10.2%). Free school meals entitlement is highest in free schools at 7.7%. The highest proportion of respondents who are entitled to free school meals are located in the Lincolnshire (21.3%) and the UTV (19.7%) television regions. The number of pupils eating a school meal five times a week has fallen to 59% in 2013, however the number of children having a meal once or twice a week has increased. As parents continue to struggle financially, more of them are trying to make savings and providing their children with packed lunches instead of paying for school meals. As a result, the frequency of school meal take up overall has also fallen to 3.7% from 3.8% in Within the primary and secondary age groups, frequency has also dropped which is a reflection of the overall figure. Is your child entitled to a free school meal? How many times a week does your child usually have a free school meal?

19 Free school meal entitlement and school meal take up by school type, gender and ageIs your child entitled to a free school meal? How many times a week does your child usually have a free school meal?

20 Eligibility for free school meals - by regionAnglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Yes 8.9% 7.3% 6.4% 11.0% 6.9% 10.3% 5.8% 6.5% No 91.1% 92.7% 93.6% 89.0% 93.1% 89.7% 94.2% 93.5% Free school meals STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Yes 15.0% 5.2% 19.7% 5.5% 4.6% 21.3% 5.6% No 85.0% 94.8% 80.3% 94.5% 95.4% 78.7% 94.4%

21 Frequency of school meal take up - by regionInformation Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Once a week 9.2% 1.8% 11.1% 9.8% 5.0% 6.3% 14.5% 14.0% Twice a week 11.4% 6.4% 10.5% 7.3% 3.8% 7.6% 13.7% 9.7% Three times a week 12.7% 2.7% 8.8% 11.3% Four times a week 6.2% 4.9% 2.6% 5.1% 10.8% Five times a week 51.8% 82.7% 52.7% 58.5% 73.0% 63.6% 41.8% 47.3% Never 8.7% 3.6% 10.6% 12.4% 8.6% Information Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Once a week 5.0% 3.8% 11.5% 8.7% 16.4% 16.8% 4.0% 5.4% Twice a week 7.5% 3.0% 9.8% 7.4% 8.9% 14.9% 10.7% 5.8% Three times a week 10.0% 5.2% 3.3% 7.1% 11.6% 11.9% 2.7% Four times a week 3.2% 6.8% 6.5% 6.7% Five times a week 70.0% 76.6% 60.7% 66.3% 43.8% 38.5% 60.0% 70.4% Never 12.5% 11.3% 16.0% 9.5%

22 Average spend on school meals continues to rise with children attending academies spending the mostAverage spend on school meals has increased which is unsurprising as food prices, energy prices and inflation continue to rise. Price rises are also a reflection of the fact that average take up of school meals overall has dropped. This is because fixed costs need to be covered such as labour etc Pupils who attend academies spend the most on school meals. The regions of UTV and Lincolnshire are where the highest proportion of respondents (64.8%) and (58.7%) respectively spend more than £2.10 on a school meal. It is interesting to note that these are the same two regions who report they have the highest number of pupils who are entitled to free school meals. If you pay for a school meal, how much on average do you pay per day?

23 Average spend per meal - by regionInformation Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Less than £1.70 4.6% 4.7% 3.5% 6.8% 4.2% £1.71 to £1.80 3.8% 3.0% 1.4% 5.5% 5.1% 2.7% 1.2% £1.81 to £1.90 5.3% 6.6% 18.1% 20.3% 12.3% 4.1% 18.8% £1.91 to £2.00 25.0% 16.0% 17.4% 23.0% 23.6% 21.7% 24.5% 16.5% £2.01 to £2.10 20.8% 28.4% 18.3% 27.5% More than £2.10 36.0% 48.1% 29.6% 36.1% 40.9% 37.0% 43.5% Information Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Once a week 10.0% 2.5% 5.6% 5.9% 2.3% 3.5% 4.8% 4.2% Twice a week 12.5% 3.3% 1.9% 7.3% 4.9% 3.2% 4.5% Three times a week 15.0% 7.2% 3.7% 13.9% 8.4% 6.9% 18.9% Four times a week 20.0% 21.2% 14.8% 23.3% 21.5% 26.9% 11.1% 17.4% Five times a week 5.0% 30.6% 9.3% 16.7% 19.1% 19.0% 28.4% Never 37.5% 35.2% 64.8% 32.8% 43.8% 39.2% 58.7% 26.5%

24 Key Findings Information and Payment The Current School Meals ServiceEducating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy

25 A refocus on healthy eating & awareness of ingredients drives parental information requirementsThe focus on healthy eating continues to drive the demand for particular types of information among parents, in particular the nutritional content of meals and how the healthy eating message is being conveyed to children. This is indicative of the fact that there has also been a large increase this year in the proportion of parents who require information about the ingredients used when preparing school meals; this figure actually fell in 2012 which is an indication of the impact that the recent food scares have had. The horsemeat scandal not only impacted on the major supermarket chains but also on those organisations in the supply chain. There have also been incidences in some schools where halal meat has been found to contain pork. As a consequence, this has led to wider perceptions of mistrust across the population as a whole. The healthy eating messages are more popular among parents of primary school age children which is a reflection perhaps of the rising concerns around the increased prevalence of obesity in young children and the subsequent impact on future health and life opportunities. According to a report published in February 2013 by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) one in ten children are already obese when they begin school and many health professionals place great emphasis on driving home the messages of healthy eating from a young age to avoid the onset of unhealthy eating habits. Parents with pupils attending free schools are more interested in receiving all types of information than academies or state maintained schools. This is because free schools tend to be new builds / openings with many processes and information feeds yet to be fully established. In addition, parents are more involved in the day to day running of the school What sort of information do you want to receive about school meals?

26 Parents of free school pupils are more interested in receiving information while primary school parents want schools to make healthy eating fun What sort of information do you want to receive about school meals?

27 Types of information that parents want to receive - by regionInformation Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Daily menu 87.2% 85.9% 88.1% 93.2% 86.2% 88.4% 85.1% 84.7% Weekly menu 91.7% 91.5% 91.9% 90.6% 92.2% 89.9% Ingredients 87.1% 78.3% 85.0% 90.5% 84.6% 85.3% Nutrition content 93.4% 92.8% 96.0% 94.4% 94.0% 96.4% Theme days 63.0% 54.7% 61.9% 78.4% 57.4% 60.0% 49.1% 63.6% Healthy eating and children 91.6% 88.7% 93.3% 94.2% Healthy eating fun 81.2% 80.1% 82.3% 86.5% 80.0% 80.4% 76.6% 76.5% Caterers & teachers 79.4% 80.5% 82.9% 77.4% Information Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Daily menu 90.0% 87.7% 92.5% 85.7% 86.0% 88.2% 88.9% 86.2% Weekly menu 97.5% 92.6% 94.4% 89.9% 92.9% 93.6% 87.3% 90.6% Ingredients 75.0% 84.7% 83.3% 88.8% 87.2% 86.5% 82.5% 83.7% Nutrition content 95.0% 93.1% 98.1% 93.7% 94.7% 93.9% 93.4% Theme days 62.5% 58.2% 66.7% 55.4% 58.8% 61.3% 61.9% 59.8% Healthy eating and children 94.3% 92.7% 92.8% 93.2% Healthy eating fun 85.0% 81.7% 79.6% 79.8% 80.2% 81.9% 84.1% 80.4% Caterers & teachers 81.6% 79.3% 80.8%

28 Electronic formats are still the preferred delivery methodThe proportion of respondents opting to receive information via a website is lower than in 2012, however it is still the preferred method Overall, any information which is submitted electronically remains popular among parents apart from specific social media platforms e.g. twitter. This method of updating parents remains the least popular and suggests that while parents are beginning to catch up with their children in terms of familiarity with general online usage and , they would prefer to be able to use the more conventional online platforms. While the demand for information via the more traditional paper format increased in desirability in 2012, this dropped in 2013 to similar 2011 levels. Among the different school types, the results are broadly similar, with a preference for electronic formats. However the demand for paper formats is significantly higher in free schools than in any other at 56%. This is due to the fact that as free schools tend to be new builds, administration infrastructures and an online presence are unlikely to be as well established. There are no notable differences for preference when it comes to gender. The preference for electronic formats continues by age, however a higher proportion of parents with children who attend primary school would prefer to receive information in a paper format. NB: Parents in 2011 were not asked about an electronic newsletter And how would you like to receive this information about school meals - % of respondents who chose ‘Yes’ to the options provided

29 How parents prefer to receive information by school type, gender and ageAnd how would you like to receive this information about school meals - % of respondents who chose ‘Yes’ to the options provided

30 Types of information that parents want to receive - by regionInformation Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Posters 54.6% 50.9% 55.1% 60.8% 53.0% 55.5% 53.8% 57.6% Paper newsletter 41.9% 37.7% 39.4% 58.1% 38.3% 41.4% 31.5% 32.9% Electronic newsletter 77.8% 66.0% 75.9% 79.7% 75.2% 77.1% 73.5% 78.8% s 67.0% 73.0% 77.0% 75.7% 75.8% 71.2% 74.1% Website 78.3% 78.7% 78.4% 78.9% 78.1% 79.5% 87.1% Social media 24.9% 22.6% 24.4% 32.4% 27.1% 24.1% 23.9% 17.6% Phone app 42.3% 40.6% 47.3% 41.6% 42.4% 40.0% 38.8% Information Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Posters 37.5% 57.8% 64.8% 55.4% 49.6% 52.3% 68.3% 55.6% Paper newsletter 41.0% 44.4% 35.5% 40.2% 44.8% 38.1% Electronic newsletter 55.0% 77.5% 79.6% 76.0% 76.8% 76.2% 77.2% s 75.0% 73.4% 81.5% 74.2% 71.3% 74.1% 79.4% 73.8% Website 62.5% 81.2% 77.8% 81.9% 81.1% 79.5% 74.6% 78.8% Social media 15.0% 23.0% 35.2% 29.3% 20.7% 20.5% 23.8% 24.7% Phone app 37.9% 37.0% 36.6% 37.7% 37.3% 39.7% 40.1%

31 Paypoint increases its appeal as a preferred payment methodThe proportion of parents who prefer to pay for school meals online has fallen since 2012. However, while paying online remains the payment method of choice, the use of the ParentPay system via a Paypoint facility has been steadily increasing in popularity since The rise in the number of outlets nationally where parents can utilise this system has helped to contribute to the increase in usage. However, its broader appeal is that while parents can still pay for school meals in cash, it means that there is no need for a child to carry money into school, creating completely cashless environments. It also provides efficiency savings for the schools themselves. Paypoint also allows payment for school trips and other school activities. What is the best way for you to pay for a school meal?

32 How parents prefer to pay for school meals by school type, gender and ageWhat is the best way for you to pay for a school meal?

33 Preferred methods of payment - by regionPayment method Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Cash 4.5% 3.8% 4.3% 4.1% 3.7% 3.2% 4.7% Cheque 1.1% 1.8% 2.7% 0.7% 1.2% Paypoint 10.7% 12.3% 10.4% 5.4% 8.8% 10.2% 11.1% 9.4% Direct debit 3.1% 2.8% 4.9% 4.0% 2.1% 2.4% Paying online 80.0% 80.2% 79.5% 82.4% 80.5% 80.7% 81.5% Via text message 0.6% 0.9% 0.8% 1.4% 1.0% Payment method STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Cash 5.0% 3.0% 5.6% 4.9% 3.3% 4.7% 3.2% 2.7% Cheque 1.2% 0.3% 1.0% 1.4% Paypoint 17.5% 9.7% 16.7% 8.7% 10.7% 11.0% 11.1% 9.5% Direct debit 2.2% 3.7% 2.4% 3.9% 2.3% 1.6% 3.1% Paying online 72.5% 82.8% 74.1% 82.9% 80.3% 80.2% 82.5% 82.2% Via text message 0.7% 0.8% 0.6%

34 Convenience is the key driver for parents when paying onlineConvenience is the key driver for parents when paying online and this has grown quite significantly in As different types of electronic devices continually emerge, it means that online payment can be accessed from a wide variety of platforms and locations. While the results are similar by school type, parents of pupils who attend academies feel more reassured when they pay for meals online that the money is actually spent on a school meal. In addition, the same group of parents think that there is less risk to their children if they use an online payment system. The parents of male schoolchildren are more likely to be concerned that the money is spent on a school meal (51%) than if they have female children (47%). Parents who have children at secondary school are twice as likely to believe that cashless payments means that there is less chance of bullying reflecting the higher reported incidence rates within secondary schools. Again, secondary school parents are twice as likely to be concerned that money will be spent elsewhere as older children are more likely to leave the school premises at lunchtime. You have said that the best way for you to pay for a school meal is to pay online. Why is that?

35 Reasons for making online payments by school type, gender and ageYou have said that the best way for you to pay for a school meal is to pay online. Why is that?

36 Reasons for online payments Reasons for online paymentsReasons for paying online - by region Reasons for online payments Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central I know the money is spent on a school meal 50.6% 64.7% 45.9% 41.0% 52.4% 48.7% 54.0% 40.0% It is more convenient for me 83.9% 76.5% 88.0% 70.5% 85.0% 85.7% 85.3% 87.1% I am reminded about topping up 35.5% 23.5% 35.4% 32.8% 32.5% 36.2% 30.5% 27.1% Less risk to my child 34.7% 44.7% 26.2% 40.4% 33.7% 38.0% 24.3% Reasons for online payments STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire I know the money is spent on a school meal 34.5% 52.6% 62.5% 58.4% 41.4% 44.7% 69.2% 46.7% It is more convenient for me 96.6% 85.9% 77.5% 86.1% 88.1% 86.7% 78.8% 86.4% I am reminded about topping up 31.0% 32.4% 25.0% 36.1% 36.3% 29.6% 26.9% 29.5% Less risk to my child 40.2% 37.5% 43.3% 31.6% 26.6% 53.8% 34.8%

37 Key Findings Information and Payment The Current School Meals ServiceEducating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy

38 % of respondents who said the current service was good or OKWhile scores for many of the service standards remain high, some have fallen since 2012, particularly value for money and quality Standard of service % of respondents who said the current service was good or OK % of respondents who said this standard was an important buying criteria for a school meal Current service rating against buying criteria 2012 2013 Difference Ease of payment 93.3% 94.2% 0.9% 35.1% 14.2% -20.9% 80.0 Overall impression 89.1% 87.1% -2.0% 11.2% 2.9% -8.3% 84.2 Availability of familiar dishes 83.2% 0.0% 10.1% 6.6% -3.5% 76.6 Quality of the food 87.9% 82.7% -5.2% 72.0% 66.5% -5.5% 16.2 Availability of healthy options 81.9% 81.0% -0.9% 43.1% 37.4% -5.7% 43.6 Taste of the food 83.8% -2.8% 39.2% 42.6% 3.4% 38.4 Choice each day 82.8% 80.6% -2.2% 40.8% 23.2% -17.6% 57.4 Availability of water 77.8% 80.2% 2.4% 18.4% 11.0% -7.4% 69.2 Day to day variety -0.8% 26.0% 19.4% -6.6% 60.8 Value for money 87.4% 78.6% -8.8% 57.9% 39.8% -18.1% 38.8 Daily menu information 74.7% 75.3% 0.6% 13.6% 6.9% -6.7% 68.4 How it looks 79.9% 74.9% -5.0% 8.5% 3.3% 71.6 Size of portion 71.9% 73.5% 1.6% 17.5% 14.1% -3.4% 59.4 Help from kitchen staff 72.7% 67.3% -5.4% 8.8% 2.2% 65.1 Help from midday supervisors 70.5% 65.5% 7.5% 3.7% -3.8% 61.8 Availabilty of vegetarian options 62.7% 56.4% -6.3% 5.1% -1.8% 53.1 Availability of ethnic dishes 45.1% -12.8% 1.4% -1.9% 43.7 Availability of dishes for medical diets 41.7% 34.9% -6.8% 2.0% -0.4% 33.3 How do you and your child rate the school meals service in each of the following areas?

39 Key findings of service standard analysisIn comparison to 2011 and 2012, the results are somewhat disappointing, with less respondents than before rating the majority of the service standards as “good” or “OK”. While the overall rating for school meals is still high at 87.1%, there has been a 2% drop from 2012 and this is a reflection of the fact that many of the measures that drive overall satisfaction have also not been rated as highly in 2013. While the value for money measure remained consistent over 2011 and 2012, there has been a decrease of 8.8% in This is due to a combination of factors. There has been an increase in the average cost of a school meal with more parents paying over £2.00. Despite an economic recovery, families continue to struggle financially. This combined with rising food prices and inflation means that perceptions of current school meal provision are not as high as they once were in terms of value for money. Another key measure which has seen a decrease in the number of parents rating it as “good” or “OK” is food quality. This has fallen by 5.2% since the last survey. The fact that it has dropped is not particularly surprising due to the impact of the horsemeat scandal in early 2013 and subsequent product recalls. This did not just affect the largest retailers, but in addition, the two largest contract caterers in the education market were forced to recall products. It was not just the contract caterers either as in February 2013, a local authority in the North West had to withdraw a product from 47 schools where the catering was provided ‘in house’. In addition, when ratings for perceptions of food quality are analysed by region, the figure for Lancashire is below the overall figure (79.9%) and has one of the lowest ratings for food quality amongst all the television regions. It has also highlighted weaknesses with food supply chains and the subsequent lack of transparency relating to sourcing. While the largest retailers (especially Tesco) were heavily criticised for the use of complicated and lengthy supply chains, local authorities have also been blamed due to their policies of awarding contracts in the public sector based on price. Q12: How do you and your child rate the school meals service in each of the following areas?

40 Key findings of service standard analysis (Continued.)The renewed focus on quality products and provenance has been reflected in the responses of parents when they have been asked about information they would like to receive about school meals. Ingredients and nutritional content showed a significant increase from 2012 indicating that the issue of school meals for parents is not focused so much on Jamie Oliver and ‘Turkey Twizzlers’, but the impact of the horsemeat scandal and subsequent changes to shopper behaviour has led to a refocus on provenance and transparency. The horsemeat scandal was not the only food scare that had an impact on perceptions of trust. In May 2013, a company supplying a council in the East Midlands with halal lamb burgers was forced to withdraw the product as it contained up to 50% pork. This was seen by the public as more of a serious issue than simply product contamination. Perceptions about the visual appearance and presentation of school meals has also fallen by 5.8% from 2012 and in fact when parents were asked if there were any other changes they would like to see made to school meals, many made reference to changing the “prison style”, plastic serving trays that are used in many schools. In addition, some parents felt that changing the serving format to traditional style crockery would encourage school meal take up as food would look more appealing and perceptions of hygiene would increase. In addition, changing the serving format would also be reflective of the environment within the family home. The perceived availability of ethnic and vegetarian dishes has also fallen since 2012 as it did in Judging from some of the responses that parents have given which relate to the provision of ethnic dishes in particular, many feel that school caterers are missing an opportunity by not considering and responding to the different cultural backgrounds of pupils. Many parents also emphasised that the range of ethnic dishes that caterers are providing tend to be particularly limited and do not embrace the range of cultures that are present in schools in the UK. How do you and your child rate the school meals service in each of the following areas?

41 Key findings of service standard analysis (Continued.)It is a similar story with the provision of vegetarian meals. A common complaint among parents was that school caterers were simply not inventive enough with an over reliance on dairy products e.g. cheese to bulk out meat free dishes. As a result, many parents felt that a vegetarian option was not necessarily a healthy option. As in 2012, an ongoing concern appears to be that providers of school meals are not catering sufficiently for those children who require dishes as a result of certain medical conditions. As the prevalence of allergies and food intolerances continues to rise, school caterers will need to respond to this and increase the range and variety of meal provision. This was highlighted in the 2012 report and it is clear that this has not yet been addressed by caterers as only 34.7% of parents thought the availability of these meals was either “good” or “OK” compared to 41.7% in 2012. The most important factor for parents when choosing to purchase a school meal is quality. This is a reflection of the decrease in the number of parents who said that the quality of the food was not as high in 2013 as it had been in Parents have more access and visibility of information relating to school meals than ever before and as a result their expectations are considerably higher, particularly considering that many of them are paying more for school meals in an economic environment which is still challenging for many families. As a result, they will expect higher quality food especially after the manner in which the food industry has been criticised and scrutinised in the wake of the horsemeat scandal and other contaminated product scares. The 2012 report touched upon the fact that service delivery was exceeding the considerations that parents make when choosing to purchase a school meal. While this may still be the case, if school caterers want to encourage school meal take up, then the perception that quality is getting worse will need to be addressed. While this could be due to the fact that they actually have less money in their pockets (wage freezes, etc), they will not be convinced about school meals if the issues relating to the other service standards are not improved. They are more likely to continue providing their children with packed lunches which addresses both value as it is cheaper and quality as parents can monitor both ingredients and nutritional content. However the authors of the School Food Plan highlighted that only 1% of packed lunches currently meet the nutritional requirements currently applied to school meals. How do you and your child rate the school meals service in each of the following areas?

42 While overall satisfaction levels fall slightly, expectation levels for extra catering services have increased Overall parents are satisfied with the school meals service, but there is a slight decrease from last year. However, the expectation levels/ requirements of parents have risen in regard to the types of catering that they believe schools should be offering / providing. A breakfast service, mid morning break and cooked snacks at an after school club have all increased as preferences for extra catering. As families continue to struggle financially and still pay the bills, this is not entirely surprising. In addition, as more people are working longer hours than ever before, parents are keen that schools look to accommodate this in the form of school clubs and hot meal provision. Satisfaction is highest among parents whose children attend free school and academies, presumably because they are outside of local authority control and are allowed more freedom with the menus. Parents are also more satisfied with the provision of school meals in primary schools. Parents who have children attending academies and free schools are more likely to want an additional catering provision to be offered. Operating as one of these schools means that they are not controlled by the local authority when setting budgets, they have more freedom regarding how to use these budgets and can make any decisions themselves surrounding the provision of catering services. Parents may be assuming that because they are not tied to the local authority, then these schools will be more likely to adopt a less traditional approach to catering and will have more money to spend. Parents of secondary school children are more likely to want the school to provide extra catering, particularly breakfast. How happy are you with the overall provision of school meals for your child? What other types of catering services would you like your child’s school to provide?

43 Preferences for extra catering services by school type, gender and ageHow happy are you with the overall provision of school meals for your child? What other types of catering services would you like your child’s school to provide?

44 Preference for other types of catering services - by regionCatering Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Breakfast 26.8% 28.3% 27.1% 27.0% 29.9% 29.4% 16.5% Mid-morning break 39.0% 45.3% 38.2% 36.5% 39.2% 38.0% 40.7% 41.2% Cooked snacks at an after school club 23.6% 14.2% 23.0% 14.7% 22.0% 15.3% 12.9% Lunch as part of summer school 9.5% 8.6% 9.0% 13.2% 6.9% 4.7% None of these 37.1% 29.2% 38.8% 29.7% 38.1% 34.5% 42.4% Catering Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Breakfast 25.0% 20.4% 35.2% 31.7% 22.3% 24.2% 25.4% 27.2% Mid-morning break 40.0% 35.1% 44.6% 34.0% 38.9% 41.3% 37.6% Cooked snacks at an after school club 12.5% 14.8% 31.5% 15.7% 15.4% 15.6% 12.7% 14.5% Lunch as part of summer school 7.5% 11.1% 9.8% 7.8% 7.9% 8.2% None of these 45.0% 44.5% 25.9% 34.5% 43.6% 40.5% 40.2%

45 Key Findings Information and Payment The Current School Meals ServiceEducating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy

46 Parents are becoming more concerned that teachers do not have sufficient resources to deliver the National Curriculum Despite numerous reports in the media regarding the lack of knowledge among children about food and its origins, the number of parents who think that schoolchildren should learn about provenance has actually decreased since 2012. In addition, the number of parents who think that schoolchildren should have the opportunity to grow food in a school garden has also decreased since last year. The only proposal which has seen an improvement since last year is that more parents think that teachers should have good access to education and food resources to ensure that they can deliver the National Curriculum. Parents of female schoolchildren responded more positively to these ideas than those who have male children. In particular the idea that schoolchildren must learn to cook as part of the National Curriculum was the most popular among parents of females. Parents of primary schoolchildren are more concerned with provenance and the importance of food education in general. In addition a much larger proportion of these parents (94.7%) in comparison to secondary (87.3%) valued the idea relating growing food in a school garden. These are ideas that should be introduced into the National Curriculum (% of respondents who said they agreed slightly or strongly)

47 Agreement with National Curriculum ideas by school type, gender and ageThese are ideas that should be introduced into the National Curriculum (% of respondents who said they agreed slightly or strongly)

48 Ideas for inclusion in the National Curriculum -by region Ideas for inclusion in the National Curriculum - NC Ideas Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Children must learn to cook 97.7% 95.5% 96.9% 95.1% 97.5% 95.9% 97.9% Children must learn about food origins 97.2% 94.6% 96.7% 95.2% 96.3% 96.8% Children must learn about food in season 94.1% 93.7% 93.1% 90.3% 92.6% 94.5% Children must have the opportunity to grow food 91.0% 84.5% 90.9% 92.7% 91.2% 89.9% 92.5% Teachers need access to resources 96.2% 98.8% 96.1% 96.4% NC Ideas STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Children must learn to cook 90.0% 98.4% 96.7% 97.1% 97.7% 97.8% 97.3% Children must learn about food origins 97.5% 96.6% 95.1% 96.5% 96.0% Children must learn about food in season 92.2% 85.2% 95.2% 95.4% 94.2% 98.7% 93.6% Children must have the opportunity to grow food 82.5% 90.4% 80.3% 90.6% 91.6% 92.4% 92.0% 91.4% Teachers need access to resources 95.0% 95.8% 96.4% 97.4% 96.2%

49 Key Findings Information and Payment The Current School Meals ServiceEducating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy

50 Less children are eating breakfast before they go to school, but local authorities are beginning to increase their breakfast provision Less pupils in 2013 eat breakfast before they go to school than in However, while this could be an indicate that this is because families are under increasing financial pressure, growing numbers of local authorities are now starting to provide free breakfasts amid concerns about the effects of the recession on children’s eating habits which impact on their ability to learn. There has been an increase in the take up of breakfast of pupils who attend state maintained schools and academies, however free schools have the largest number of children who do not eat breakfast before going to school. Females are more likely to skip breakfast than males and while reports about increased obesity among young people are prevalent, there is less focus at the other end of the spectrum in terms of the increased prevalence of eating disorders among young people. The number of secondary school pupils going to school without breakfast has increased from 8.5% in 2012 to 9.4% in 2013. There has been a decrease in the numbers of parents who say they cook at home with their children on a regular basis. This is not surprising as there have been many reports in the media which focus on the fact that many adults in the UK simply don’t have time to cook with their families as they are under more pressure to juggle busy schedules, both at work and at home. In the light of the horsemeat scandal, various food scares and product recalls, parents are becoming more aware of the importance of provenance and trusting the origins of food. In addition, many cookery programmes on televisions are now focusing not only on how to cook nutritious meals on a budget but also, on how to reduce preparation and cooking times. Does your child have breakfast before he/she leaves for school? Do you cook with your children at home on a regular basis e.g. two or three times a week

51 Breakfast consumption and cooking habits in the home by school type, gender and ageDoes your child have breakfast before he/she leaves for school? Do you cook with your children at home on a regular basis e.g. two or three times a week

52 Children eating breakfast and cooking with children at home - by regionChildren eating breakfast before going to school Information Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Yes 94.0% 90.0% 87.8% 92.8% 91.4% 94.6% 92.5% No 6.0% 10.0% 12.2% 7.2% 8.6% 5.4% 7.5% Information Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Yes 92.5% 94.6% 93.4% 91.3% 95.4% 94.5% 98.7% No 7.5% 5.4% 6.6% 8.7% 4.6% 5.5% 1.3% The Borders and Channel regions have the highest proportion of children who go to school without breakfast The Meridian and UTV regions have the highest proportion of parents who say they don’t cook with their children on a regular basis Cooking with children at home Information Type Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Yes 66.3% 66.4% 64.9% 67.1% 62.9% 66.8% 61.4% 72.0% No 33.7% 33.6% 35.1% 32.9% 37.1% 33.2% 38.6% 28.0% Information Type STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Yes 62.5% 64.9% 62.3% 66.3% 64.0% 76.0% No 37.5% 35.1% 37.7% 33.7% 36.0% 24.0%

53 Children are still not eating enough fruit and vegetables, while chips consumption has increased since 2012 In the 2011 and 2012 surveys, parents were asked questions relating to the consumption of specific types of food in order to provide a snapshot of changes in children’s dietary habits. Government guidelines currently recommend ‘five portions’ a day of fruit and vegetables, however the results of the last three surveys show that this target is not being met. Currently only 10.7 % of children consume 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day and the average consumption per day remains at 3.3 portions, the same as (One portion of fruit and vegetables for a child is the amount they can fit in the palm of their hand). Pupils who attend state maintained schools consume more on a daily basis at 3.4 portions while pupils at free schools consume the least, just under 3 portions per day. In terms of gender, girls consume more fruit and vegetables on a daily basis than boys (3.3 portions versus 3.2 portions), with primary school children consuming more than those who attend secondary schools (3.5 portions versus 3.3 portions). Primary school children consume more fruit and vegetables because parents have more control over the diets of younger children. There are also some variations by region. Children in just over half of the 16 TV regions analysed either consumed the average of 3.3 portions or slightly more. In the Border and UTV regions, consumption was way under average at 2.8 and 2.6 respectively. The weekly average for chips consumption is increasing year on year. Consumption frequency in 2013 is 1.49 times per week, up from 1.41 times per week in Consumption frequency is higher among males than females while for the primary and secondary age groups, consumption is the same. On a regional basis consumption was higher than average in the Northern regions of Tyne Tees and Yorkshire at Consumption was highest in the Border and UTV regions at 1.9. Frequency of chip consumption % of all respondents Once a week 51.5% Twice a week 27.1% Three times a week 10.1% Four times a week 2.1% Five times a week 0.6% Six times a week 0.1% Seven times a week Never 8.4% How many portions of fresh fruit and vegetables did your child have yesterday? How many times a week does your child eat chips? At home and at school

54 Daily fruit & veg portions Daily fruit and veg portions- by region Daily portions of fresh fruit and vegetables Daily fruit & veg portions Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central None 2.5% 9.1% 2.7% 1.2% 2.9% 3.1% 2.1% 3.2% One 7.7% 10.0% 8.5% 4.9% 9.9% 9.6% 5.5% 6.5% Two 21.1% 22.7% 18.5% 30.5% 21.7% 22.6% 19.2% 20.4% Three 28.4% 27.3% 27.5% 31.7% 25.8% 26.2% 24.0% 24.7% Four 19.8% 13.6% 20.7% 13.4% 18.3% 17.0% 24.2% Five 10.9% 11.3% 6.1% 11.2% 10.6% 11.5% 10.8% More than five 6.4% 12.2% 10.2% 13.5% 8.6% Daily fruit and veg portions STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire None 5.0% 2.7% 6.6% 2.9% 2.4% 2.0% 4.0% 2.8% One 12.5% 7.2% 18.0% 10.7% 6.8% 6.3% 6.9% Two 20.0% 18.3% 29.5% 19.7% 21.0% 17.5% 21.3% 19.6% Three 22.5% 27.4% 29.4% 27.7% 25.5% 28.5% Four 21.1% 11.5% 18.1% 22.3% 13.3% 21.5% Five 11.4% 3.3% 7.1% 12.3% 14.7% 9.4% More than five 2.5% 11.9% 9.8% 10.4% 11.6% 14.0% 16.0%

55 Chip consumption frequency Chip consumption frequencyChip consumption frequency - by region Chip consumption frequency Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Once a week 52.1% 50.9% 53.4% 40.2% 46.5% 52.2% 56.9% 59.1% Twice a week 26.7% 22.7% 26.9% 36.6% 29.7% 26.2% 23.5% 23.7% Three times a week 9.4% 17.3% 9.2% 7.3% 13.4% 9.9% 6.5% 4.3% Four times a week 2.2% 1.8% 1.4% 3.3% 1.3% 1.7% 3.2% Five times a week 0.7% 0.9% 0.6% 1.2% 0.1% Six times a week Seven times a week 0.2% 0.0% Never 8.7% 6.4% 8.3% 5.9% 9.6% 11.2% 7.5% Chip consumption frequency STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Once a week 32.5% 48.0% 39.3% 49.8% 53.5% 56.4% 49.3% 47.4% Twice a week 20.0% 27.8% 34.4% 28.2% 27.9% 25.3% 24.0% 29.8% Three times a week 25.0% 12.3% 16.4% 12.0% 8.4% 7.6% 11.8% Four times a week 7.5% 3.5% 3.3% 3.6% 1.9% 0.9% 2.7% 2.8% Five times a week 1.1% 1.6% 0.3% 0.2% 0.1% 0.8% Six times a week Seven times a week Never 15.0% 7.4% 5.8% 7.9% 9.6% 7.1%

56 Time spent exercising has fallen slightly since 2012 while the variation in activity levels between boys and girls should be addressed The average length of time that children spend exercising has fallen in 2013 to 58.7 minutes per day. For young people between the ages of 5 – 18, the NHS recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. While these results are still encouraging, there are regions where there are some common themes regarding lifestyle choices. For example in the UTV television region, fruit and vegetable consumption is lowest, consumption of chips is highest and children in this region spend less time exercising, just 48.4 minutes. In terms of gender differences, boys meet the recommendation of the NHS, but girls do not. This mirrors the findings of a report published by the BMJ Open in August 2013 which found that girls were significantly less active in comparison to boys. Many health professionals feel that schools should be doing more to address this by offering a wider variety of sporting activities to encourage take up. Average length of time spent exercising (minutes) Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central 58.2 60.5 58.5 57.8 60.0 55.2 57.7 62.4 STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire 57.0 64.6 48.4 57.3 59.4 61.8 62.6 How much regular exercise does your child take each day at home? This includes playing outside with friends, cycling, taking part in a sport and walking to school

57 Minutes of daily exercise Minutes of daily exerciseMinutes of regular exercise - by region Minutes of daily exercise Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Less than thirty minutes 14.1% 14.5% 12.4% 14.6% 14.0% 17.5% 16.1% Thirty to sixty minutes 45.6% 40.0% 46.3% 43.9% 41.9% 46.8% 47.9% 35.5% Sixty to ninety minutes 22.3% 24.5% 24.9% 25.6% 24.0% 19.6% 24.6% 22.6% More than ninety minutes 17.9% 20.9% 16.4% 15.9% 20.1% 15.1% 25.8% Minutes of daily exercise STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Less than thirty minutes 15.0% 9.9% 29.5% 15.9% 13.7% 12.5% 9.3% 10.9% Thirty to sixty minutes 47.5% 39.8% 41.0% 42.7% 46.3% 44.9% 40.9% Sixty to ninety minutes 20.0% 25.2% 18.0% 18.8% 25.3% 24.4% 30.7% 26.6% More than ninety minutes 17.5% 25.1% 11.5% 22.7% 14.7% 18.1% 17.3% 21.6%

58 Key Findings Information and Payment The Current School Meals ServiceEducating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy

59 Parents require better information, not more informationWhile there is more information available which relates to the link between food and good health than ever before, there has been an increase in the numbers of parents who claim that actually they require ‘better’ information, not more information. While this is reflected in the decrease in numbers who say they have enough information, the reasons for the increase in parents requiring better information could be due to the fact that there tend to be many mixed messages surrounding food and in particular what the experts claim is good for us. The requirement for better information is more to do with consistency than quality. In terms of access, less parents are using a search engine than in 2012, but more are using the Change 4 Life website. This is an indication of the fact that parents don’t want to be bombarded with information which constantly seems to change and would prefer to find all the information they require in one place. In addition, parents are looking for information which is consistent and by using one trusted information source they feel that they are less likely to receive conflicting messages. Parents whose children attend state maintained schools however are more likely to use a wider variety of information sources than parents whose children attend academies and free schools. This could be an indication that state maintained schools are simply not providing enough guidance to parents about useful information sources. Please note that LACA was not included as an option in 2012 Which of these statements about the link between food and good health do you agree or disagree with? Where would you access the link between health and food?

60 How information is accessed by school type, gender and ageWhich of these statements about the link between food and good health do you agree or disagree with? Where would you access the link between health and food?

61 Food and good health information Food and good health informationAgreement with food and good health statements - by region Food and good health information Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central I have enough information 90.2% 91.0% 91.8% 82.9% 90.1% 91.2% 92.7% 92.5% The information is confusing 28.3% 33.6% 27.0% 35.4% 26.6% 29.3% 26.9% I want better information 57.0% 60.9% 55.5% 64.6% 57.1% 60.7% 52.3% 54.9% Food and good health information STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire I have enough information 92.5% 91.7% 88.5% 90.9% 90.6% 92.0% The information is confusing 37.5% 24.8% 39.4% 25.6% 23.8% 25.5% 37.3% 25.8% I want better information 70.0% 55.1% 65.5% 56.0% 50.0% 55.4% 50.6% 53.4%

62 Where to access information Where to access informationAccessing information about the link between food and good health - by region Where to access information Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central My child’s school 28.7% 26.4% 30.1% 34.1% 29.4% 28.8% 23.2% 24.7% Via a search engine 64.4% 60.9% 67.1% 45.1% 66.6% 62.8% 70.7% 61.3% Change4Life website 50.0% 53.6% 46.7% 35.4% 51.0% 44.8% 50.1% 39.8% Doctor’s surgery 29.6% 27.3% 26.3% 25.3% 28.2% 26.2% 21.5% Local hospital 6.5% 8.2% 5.7% 11.0% 6.8% 7.3% 6.1% 7.5% The media 33.8% 35.3% 26.8% 34.3% 37.6% 35.5% 34.4% I would not know where to look 3.9% 5.5% 2.6% 8.5% 3.2% 4.2% 3.6% LACA 0.9% 1.8% 2.4% 2.8% 1.7% Where to access information STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire My child’s school 25.0% 29.2% 21.3% 20.4% 28.0% 25.9% 30.7% 29.4% Via a search engine 67.5% 65.9% 73.8% 69.6% 65.3% 62.4% 60.0% 63.7% Change4Life website 22.5% 56.3% 24.6% 44.0% 49.7% 51.9% 57.3% 55.1% Doctor’s surgery 25.6% 13.1% 22.0% 25.3% 24.0% 27.4% Local hospital 10.0% 6.7% 4.9% 5.8% 5.3% 4.8% 9.3% The media 37.5% 33.5% 50.8% 31.4% 41.5% 32.1% 32.9% I would not know where to look 5.0% 3.4% 2.6% 3.1% 3.3% LACA 1.8% 1.6% 2.9% 1.5% 1.9% 1.3% 2.7%

63 Section 2 Information and Payment The Current School Meals ServiceEducating Children about Food Food Provision at Home The Link between Food and Good Health Government and School Policy

64 Compliance with Nutritional Guidelines are welcomed by parentsSimilarly to 2012, parents are still in agreement with the policy that all schools should have to abide by a set of Nutritional Standards as determined by the government. Currently these standards do not apply to academies and free schools who operate outside of local authority control and only need to comply by choice. However, the parents of children who attend state maintained schools agreed more strongly with this policy (93.3%) than those parents whose children attended free schools (90.4%) and academies (92.7%). The government has been criticised about its policies on academies and free schools only very recently with certain issues becoming particularly contentious ranging from unqualified teaching staff to poor food quality. Clearly, this has become a cause of concern for parents as in 2013, 62.8% knew if their child’s school abided by the Nutritional Standards as opposed to just 42.8% in 2012. The coalition government’s policy to provide free school meals to primary school children (reception, year one and year two) in England will be implemented in September This was one of the recommendations of a recent review of school food by two founders of the Leon restaurant chain for the Department of Education. It aims to address the link between good diet, children’s health and educational performance, whilst at the same time encourage increased take up of school meals and to assist at a time when family budgets are stretched to the limit. In addition, the current eligibility criteria for free school meal entitlement is widely viewed as insufficient as it excludes many children currently living in poverty. Wales was the only region where more parents thought that primary school children should not receive free school meals (No – 50.8%) Which of these statements do you agree with? Do you think that all Primary School pupils should be given free meals?

65 Agreement on school policies and whether primary school pupils should receive free school meals by school type, gender and age Which of these statements do you agree with? Do you think that all Primary School pupils should be given free meals?

66 Where to access information Where to access informationAgreement with statements - by region Where to access information Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Pupils can blog about meals 66.6% 65.5% 65.7% 69.5% 67.0% 67.4% 67.2% 64.5% Pupils can photograph their meals 44.7% 39.1% 41.5% 39.9% 45.3% 48.7% 38.8% All schools to abide by NS 92.3% 90.9% 93.4% 90.2% 92.2% 93.9% 97.8% My child’s school abides by NS 63.9% 60.9% 62.6% 68.3% 62.5% 58.2% 62.3% Independent body to monitor standards 91.6% 90.0% 90.3% 91.5% 92.0% 95.7% Where to access information STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Pupils can blog about meals 65.0% 63.0% 65.6% 72.5% 62.6% 64.5% 61.3% 65.8% Pupils can photograph their meals 60.0% 41.3% 44.2% 44.6% 44.3% 44.1% 44.0% 40.8% All schools to abide by NS 92.5% 94.4% 95.1% 92.2% 93.2% 91.8% 88.0% 92.7% My child’s school abides by NS 70.0% 65.2% 59.0% 64.7% 65.5% 64.0% 64.3% Independent body to monitor standards 87.5% 89.1% 93.5% 91.2% 91.3% 90.7% 91.0%

67 Free school meals for primary school pupils - by regionAnglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Yes 57.9% 54.5% 57.1% 72.0% 58.2% 63.7% 52.5% 58.1% No 42.1% 45.5% 42.9% 28.0% 41.8% 36.3% 47.5% 41.9% Free school meals STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Yes 50.0% 59.9% 70.5% 49.2% 55.4% 55.2% 64.0% 56.0% No 40.1% 29.5% 50.8% 44.6% 44.8% 36.0% 44.0%

68 The demand for staggered lunchtimes continues and increased agreement around financial rewards for schools While agreement for many of these statements has fallen, parents are agreeing more with the statements which refer to increased budgets for schools and meal take up. This is not just a reflection of many more parents wanting schools to provide extra catering provision throughout the day, but also due to the fact that increased take up of school meals means that extra money will go into the school food system. Indeed, this was highlighted by the authors of the School Food Plan who explained that for the school food service to break even, average take up needs to be higher than 50% and currently it is not. That means that the service is being subsidised by school budgets and local councils when the money could actually be diverted elsewhere if take up increased. In the 2012 survey parents agreed the most with the policy of introducing staggered lunchtimes in secondary schools. This is not evident in many schools and it is the main reason that deters pupils from choosing to have school meals. The incorporation of staggered lunchtimes will not only reduce queuing, it will reduce food waste as pupils will have more time to eat their meals and it will improve the dining experience as a whole which will have a positive impact on children’s educational performance and behaviour. The results are very similar in 2013 and clearly it is something that needs to be addressed by schools in general. If schools are in favour of encouraging take up of school meals, they will need to consider improving the overall experience instead of focusing on a few core elements. As in 2012, parents still agree strongly with the school policy which relates to pupils being kept in at lunch time. Not only will this encourage increased take up of school meals in general, but it reassures parents that their child will eat a healthy meal. A number of ideas have been put forward on how to improve school meals still further. Which of these ideas do you agree with?

69 Parents whose children attend free schools want to see budget increases if school meal take up improves A number of ideas have been put forward on how to improve school meals still further. Which of these ideas do you agree with?

70 Where to access information Where to access informationAgreement with proposed improvements to school meals statements - by region Where to access information Anglia Borders Central Channel Granada London Meridian STV Central Schools financially rewarded if take up increases 64.5% 59.9% 78.0% 61.9% 68.0% 60.8% 65.6% Reward increases with increased uptake 69.6% 69.1% 65.1% 84.2% 67.9% 72.1% 64.7% 66.6% Extra money for catering in deprived areas 81.9% 84.5% 79.8% 85.4% 79.5% 83.6% 81.8% Staggered lunchtimes 94.5% 97.2% 93.9% 95.6% 94.9% 96.2% 94.6% Pupils not allowed out at lunchtime excl 6th form 66.1% 68.2% 59.7% 70.0% 71.3% 68.3% 58.1% 6th form not allowed out at lunch time 30.8% 29.1% 31.8% 36.6% 29.3% 39.1% 27.8% 26.9% Where to access information STV North Tyne Tees UTV Wales West West Country YTV Lincolnshire YTV Yorkshire Schools financially rewarded if take up increases 77.5% 64.7% 68.8% 59.6% 56.8% 64.0% 63.0% Reward increases with increased uptake 69.6% 83.6% 64.1% 66.9% 66.7% 67.5% Extra money for catering in deprived areas 90.0% 74.0% 75.4% 80.3% 84.6% 80.8% 80.0% 76.2% Staggered lunchtimes 97.5% 94.3% 100.0% 96.1% 94.4% 94.0% 96.0% 94.1% Pupils not allowed out at lunchtime excl 6th form 70.0% 73.0% 63.9% 69.8% 66.1% 78.6% 69.7% 6th form not allowed out at lunch time 47.5% 31.2% 42.6% 31.7% 32.3% 32.1% 48.0% 31.5%

71 Portion sizes and choice are key to encourage take up of school mealsParents would like portion sizes to be tailored towards specific age groups with regular menu updates and reporting Portion sizes 21.1% think portion sizes are too small and they should be tailored for specific age groups Portion sizes and choice are key to encourage take up of school meals “Portion sizes in primary school are unacceptable” “Portion sizes to be comparable with age” “Bigger portions and no junk food!” “A better choice of meals should be made available” “More choice for lunch meals!” 17% of parents want larger portion sizes and more choice Choice 78.8% want to see more choice on school menus “More traditional meal choices” “More availability of popular choices” Weekly menus 98.6% want more information in advance about weekly menus Provide more information about weekly menus and reports to parents “Send a weekly of next week’s meals” “More availability of a weekly menu” “I would like more schools to provide a weekly menu” “Children should make the weekly menus!” “Checks that the children actually eat the food they have been served!” 8.8% of parents want more information about menus and updates on school meal consumption Reporting to parents 1.4% want to know if their children are eating enough “Knowing what my child has to eat during the week” “If a child eats well or doesn’t eat well” Are there are any other changes or improvements you would like to see made to school meals?

72 14.8% want to see more ethnic meals “More ethnic based days”A wider variety of meals and transparency in the food chain is important to parents Ethnic 14.8% want to see more ethnic meals “More ethnic based days” Provide more variety for special diets “Consider the cultural background of pupils” “Authentic ethnic foods!” Halal 24.1% want to see more halal meals “Please provide halal choice as well” “There should be halal meals on the menu” “How about Quorn or soya!!” 4% of parents want to see a wider variety of meals Vegetarian 24.1% want to see more vegetarian options “More variety and more vegetarian options” “Less reliance on cheese for vegetarian options!” Free Fruit 4% want free fruit to be provided “Free fruit for every child that has a school meal” “Free fruit snacks for all children” More healthy options and fresh food from local suppliers “Free fruit until the age of 16!!” More Fruit & veg on the menu 15.4% want more fruit and veg “More vegetables, less pizza and less chips!” “More vegetables to be mandatory” 11.7% of parents want to see more healthy options on the menu – and are more aware of provenance Local sourcing 13.4% want food to be sourced locally “Consider partnerships with local farms” “Local small businesses should be favoured” “Complete transparency!” Are there are any other changes or improvements you would like to see made to school meals?

73 Transforming the dining experience and offering cheaper / free school meals will benefit childrenQueuing 90.3% want to see staggered lunchtimes “My boys don’t want to waste their lunch hour in queues!!!” “Staggered dinners to stop massive queues” Improve the dining room environment “Long queues at lunchtime!” Longer lunchtimes 1.8% want lunchtimes to be longer “Longer time to eat the meal” “Longer lunchtimes to give time to eat” 4% of parents want the dining experience to change “Longer sittings” Larger dining rooms 7.7% want larger dining rooms “Adequate dining space should be provided” “The dining hall is far too small for the number of children!” Too expensive 66.6% want meals to be cheaper “Make them cheaper for secondary school pupils!” Reduce costs and extend free school meals policy “School meals are expensive when you have more than one child in a school” “Reduce the costs!” Free school meals 33.3% want free school meals – and many want this extended to all children “Free school meals for all primary school children” 7.1% of parents think school meals are too expensive “All school children should be given free school meals” “Free school meals for lower income families!” Are there are any other changes or improvements you would like to see made to school meals?

74 Appendix Flavoured Milk

75 Parents are unwilling to pay any extra for flavoured milkWould you be prepared to pay for your child to receive flavoured milk every day? Which would be their preferred flavour of milk?

76 This report has been compiled by Canadean, the consumer market experts.Operating the most highly segmented panels in the United Kingdom, Canadean seeks to help its clients to locate the right consumer and business segments they wish to learn from and then interacts with them in the most pertinent manner. Once the data has been collected, Canadean deploys its research and insights experts to translate outputs into meaningful and actionable recommendations, so that confident commentary and decisions can be made. AT A GLANCE BEST IN CLASS SECTOR KNOWLEDGE INNOVATIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES DEDICATED PROJECT TEAMS HIGHLY SEGMENTED PANELS 20M DATAPOINTS OF CONTEXTUAL DATA VISUAL RESEARCH PROCESSES ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS Canadean Custom Solutions John Carpenter House, 7 Carmelite Street, London EC4Y 0BS T: W: E: