Meal options, public communications and feedback mechanisms related to school-provided meals

​​​Request 717057030

1. Uptake Data:

•What data is held on the number and percentage of pupils opting for school-provided meals versus bringing packed lunches?

•Please provide a breakdown of school meal uptake by:

•Pupils eligible for free school meals (including those receiving income support or other qualifying benefits)

•Pupils whose parents/carers are paying for meals (i.e. not eligible for income-related support)

•Are there records of meal wastage or uneaten meals?

2. Meal Options and Quality:

•Please provide documentation outlining the variety and nutritional standards of school meals currently being provided.

•Have there been any reviews or audits on pupil satisfaction or nutritional value since the scheme has been running?

3.Public Communications:

•What public statements or press releases have been issued by ministers regarding the quality and expected outcomes of the school meal programme?

•Are internal assessments or evaluations available that support these public claims?

4.Outcome Measures:

•What metrics or indicators are being used to evaluate the impact of school meals on:

•Behavioural outcomes in schools?

•Public health indicators such as child obesity and dental health?

5.Feedback Mechanisms:

•What formal systems are in place to collect feedback on school meals from:

•Pupils?

•Parents and carers?

•School staff, particularly lunchtime supervisors?

•How frequently is this feedback collected and reviewed?

•Please provide any recent analysis, summaries, or reports derived from this feedback.

Response

1. The table below represents information relating to pupils within each school, as a percentage of the whole school population, who have accessed the school meal provision at least once. This is displayed separately for those whose meals are paid for by parents/ carers and those who receive this service for free. 

Information in relation to pupils bringing packed lunches is not recorded and therefore Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 is applicable.

*The information provided within the table is a termly average and serves as a guide only. It does not account for INSET days, bank holidays, school trips, or pupil absence due to illness.

​2. Please find PDFs attached for the nutritional analysis for the current term, covering schools receiving the Apetito provision. This outlines the variety and nutritional standards of the meals provided.

Schools, parents, and children are surveyed once each term. This qualitative feedback, alongside quantitative data from meal order statistics is used to inform the menu for the coming term. 

Current term Whole list of Options and Nutritional Information.pdf

Jersey Nutritional information - Summer Term - Week 1.pdf

Jersey Nutritional information - Summer Term - Week 2.pdf

Jersey Nutritional information - Summer Term - Week 3.pdf

Jersey Nutritional information - Summer Term - Week 4.pdf​

3. Public Statements and Press releases are publicly available at the following link https://www.gov.je/news/Pages/default.aspx​. Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) 2011 Law has been applied.  

Internal surveys and resulting statistics inform the information provided within public statements.

4. In consideration of the fact that the programme was only fully implemented in December of 2024, it remains too early to collect conclusive data on its long-term outcomes on behaviour, childhood obesity and dental health. Nonetheless, feedback gained from guided interviews with head teachers, as well as comments provided by parents and schools as part of surveys have indicated noticeable improvements in children’s engagement with learning during the latter part of the school day, attributed to the provision of a nutritious lunch. Additionally, as provided within these feedback mechanisms (surveys and emails), some parents have observed positive changes in their children’s eating habits at home. Ongoing monitoring will continue as further data becomes available. 

5. Feedback is collected from children, parents, carers and school staff through surveys typically once per school term. 

Given that full roll out was only finalised in December 2024, comprehensive feedback is still in its early stages as detailed in question 4. Therefore, no analysis, summaries or reports are currently available, and Article 3 of the Freedom of information (Jersey) Law 2011 is applied.

Articles applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.​