School Food Matters offers blueprint for success as government bets big on children’s health

Leading charity School Food Matters has released learnings from its ground breaking school food improvement programme. The Nourish programme offers a roadmap to success at a pivotal moment for school food policy. This year, the government is investing in universal primary breakfast clubs, expanded free school meals and the review of the decade-old school food standards this year.

To date, Nourish has reached more than 35,000 children and young people across seven London boroughs, supporting schools to create food environments that put children’s nutrition first. Building on its success in London, the programme will be expanded to Hertfordshire, Birmingham and Cumberland in 2026.

The 2015 school food standards were dubbed mandatory, yet the lack of reporting accountability has failed to consistently deliver improved nutrition to school children. Nourish was designed to bridge the gap between ambition and reality. An independent evaluation of the programme shows how practical support and consistent monitoring can turn national ambition into lasting change.

The evaluation highlights that, in busy and resource-constrained school settings, expert guidance, clear expectations and robust monitoring are needed to help schools make positive changes that benefit children’s health, wellbeing and learning.

Stephanie Slater MBE, founder/chief executive, School Food Matters, said: “By working alongside schools, rather than adding pressure, Nourish provides a practical, proven way to improve food quality and culture – turning standards and investment into real, everyday improvements for children.

“This government has set a bold ambition for school food. We urge them to seize this crucial opportunity to enact real change that delivers for children, starting with revised standards, robust monitoring and genuine accountability.”

Jamie Oliver, chef and child health campaigner, said:  “This robust evaluation of the Nourish programme, across 108 schools and more than 35,000 children over five years, proves without doubt the positive impact delicious and nutritious school food has on our kid’s happiness, health and capacity to learn. If you nourish their stomachs, you nourish their minds.”

Baroness Rosie Boycott, former chair of the London Food Board and Member of the House of Lords, said: “We know that strong food policy can transform lives, but only if it is properly implemented and monitored. Nourish shows that with the right support for senior leaders and catering teams, school food can deliver real benefits and set children up to thrive. This evidence must be used to build a healthier, fairer and more sustainable school food system that works for every child in every school.”

Key recommendations from the five-year evaluation include:

• Clear standards deliver results when schools are supported and progress is monitored. Practical guidance, active support from senior leaders and clear expectations and oversight enable schools to consistently meet school food standards and deliver meaningful improvements for children.
• The biggest and most sustainable improvements happen when school food is treated as a whole school priority. Nourish demonstrates that positive food cultures – embedded across leadership, classrooms, catering and the wider school day – lead to calmer environments and children who are more ready to learn.
• Local coordination significantly strengthens outcomes and reduces pressure on schools. When schools are backed by engaged local authorities or dedicated school food support roles, improvements happen faster, reach more children and are sustained beyond the life of the Nourish programme.

The government has identified school food as a key pillar of its plan to support children and families, and Nourish aims to demonstrate how clear standards, backed by the right support, can help ensure public investment delivers maximum benefit for children.