The trust conducts regular surveys to find out what is happening in schools and local authorities and what head teachers, parents and pupils think about school food. We also monitor any changes in school food provision and help schools to check if the food they provide meets the food-based standards standards.
Please Note: Where a report exists the link is displayed here - Where no link is displayed the report is still in production.
What is it?: A survey of local authorities in England to find out about school meal take up.
Summary: Average take up in primary schools was 43% in 2007-2008, up 1.7% from the previous year (41.3%). In secondary schools, meal take up was 37.6%, virtually the same as in 2006-2007 (37.7%).
Sample and setting: Local authority catering providers, private school catering companies, in-house catering providers. Survey conducted every April to cover previous financial year.
Contact Details: Jo Nicholas
Published Reports:
What is it?: Headteachers tell us what they think about school food.
Summary: The majority of headteachers surveyed are optimistic about increasing take up by March 2008
Sample and setting: A national panel of 250 primary and 150 secondary school headteachers willing to be contacted once per term.
Contact Details: Jo Nicholas
Published Reports:
What is it?: Parents tell us their attitudes towards school food
Summary: Fifty four percent of parents (whose child had a school meal) said that they thought school meals have become healthier since September 2006.
Sample and setting: National sample of 2024 households with school-age children Contact Details: Michael Nelson
Published Reports:
What is it?: A Carrick James Market Research* Fast Action Telephone Survey was used to survey a nationally representative sample of 502 young people aged between 11 and 16.
Summary: Over half (56%) of the respondents purchased food from the school dining-room. Almost two-thirds of all pupils reported eating in the dining room, irrespective of whether food was purchased.
Sample and setting: A nationally representative sample of young people attending English schools. The sample reflected the population according to sex, socio-economic status, and regional split.
Contact Details: Lesley Wood
Published Reports:
*CJMR is a market research agency specialising in child and youth research, involving also research among parents, teenagers, students and teachers.
What is it?: A survey to find out if parents and children are aware of the School Food Trust.
Summary: Parents provided a packed lunch because it was cheaper and they could control what was eaten at lunch time. But three-quarters of pupils wanted to try school meals.
Sample and setting: 568 parents and 707 school children provided information on attitudes and awareness of SFT programmes
Contact Details: Michael Nelson
Published Reports:
What is it?: A survey of what is sold by vending machines before and after the introduction of the standards for school food other than lunch.
Summary Findings: The second half of the survey is due to be carried out in April 2008.
Sample and setting: A national sample of 279 secondary schools in England. Baseline data in 2006-2007 and follow-up data in 2008 following the introduction of standards for non-lunch foods
Contact Details: Michael Nelson
Published Reports:
What is it?: A survey to explore the main issues related to school food procurement, the challenges involved, areas where support may be helpful and how efficiencies could be delivered and sustainability improved.
Summary: 74 LAs responded to the survey, and data from 73 (49%) were of sufficient quality to be included in the analysis. Of these 24 (33%) procured a school meal catering service, 46 (63%) provided an in-house school catering service, 11 (15%) procured other services in relation to school food procurement and 24 (33%) provided advice to schools about school food procurement. The majority of LAs reported that they undertook more than one activity in relation to school food procurement.
Sample and setting: A survey of Local Authorities (LAs) was undertaken in August 2008 to better understand the practices and challenges involved in school food procurement. 74 LAs responded.
Contact Details: Jo Nicholas
Published Reports:
What is it?: A national survey of school food provision in primary schools in England to assess progress towards meeting school food standards and the impact on pupils’ lunchtime food consumption.
Sample and setting: A nationally representative sample of 6,696 pupils in 136 primary schools in England was recruited between February and April 2009 to assess the lunchtime eating habits of primary school pupils. A further 3428 pupils who brought packed lunches were also recruited.
Contact Details: Dr Dalia Haroun and Clare Harper
Published Reports:
What is it?: All schools in England are being encouraged to use this on-line monitoring tool to help them to meet the Government’s standards for school food and to provide information for cross sectional surveys.
Contact Details: Patricia Mucavele
What is it?: All schools in England are being encouraged to seek Healthy Schools status. The audit tool will provide the opportunity for national sample surveys on school activities that will promote the take up and provision of healthy food in schools.
Contact Details: Patricia Mucavele