Memorandum submitted by Children's Food
Campaign
INTRODUCTION
1. The Children's Food Campaign aims to
improve young people's health and well-being through better food—and
food teaching—in schools and by protecting children from
junk food marketing. We are supported by over 150 national organisations
and co-ordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and
farming (for more information see www.childrensfoodcampaign.org.uk).
2. As our expertise is in the area of food,
we limit the content of this submission to this issue. We are
pleased to present the evidence linking food and behaviour, and
the need for a proactive whole-school approach to good food. We
would be similarly pleased to provide further written or oral
evidence to the Committee.
FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF
CHILDREN'S
HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING
3. There is good evidence to show that,
as well as promoting physical health, a balanced diet contributes
to children's mental health and well-being, with resultant impacts
on children's behaviour and ability to take advantage of the educational
opportunities available to them. While evidence in this area is
not complete, it is substantial and continues to grow.
4. While we do not argue that food is the
sole solution to the complex problems of challenging behaviour
amongst children, it is clear that ensuring children eat a healthy
diet can play a role in preventing poor behaviour, and thus interventions
to improve and maintain the serving of healthy food in schools
is a key part of measures to improve behaviour amongst pupils.
5. We draw the Committee's attention to
the following sources of information and health which together
summarise much of the evidence on food and behaviour, with particular
relevance to schools. A summary of the relevant findings from
each source is included for the Committee's information.
6. Associate Parliamentary Food and Health
Forum (2008) Links between diet and behaviour. The influence
of nutrition on mental health.
"A majority of the studies investigated
during a 2006 FSA systematic review noted good evidence that eating
breakfast is beneficial to the performance and behaviour of school
children. This view was reinforced by our witnesses, Professor
David Benton and Professor Andrew Scholey. Both had conducted
research which found that eating breakfast improved the cognitive
performance of some children…There is evidence that eating
breakfast protects against the decline of children's attention
during the morning."[124]
7. "The results of the Aylesbury trial
[a trial conducted by Bernard Gesch in 1996-97 at HM Young Offenders'
Institute Aylesbury set out to test the hypothesis that changes
in diet could reduce the incidence of recorded offences by young
offenders inside prison] show that when the nutrients were provided
there was a 26% reduction in the rate of recorded disciplinary
incidents and a 37% reduction in the rate of more serious offences
including violence reported to the Governor among the group receiving
the supplements."[125]
8. Colquhoun, D, Wright, N, Pike, J, Gatenby,
L (2008) Evaluation of Eat Well Do Well: Kingston upon Hull's
School Meal Initiative.
The Eat Well Do Well initiative (which saw a
range of interventions including free, healthy breakfast, dinner,
after school snack and fruit to junior school pupils Hull) "has
had an important impact on creating calmer learning environments
within which children have the opportunity to reach their potential.
Headteachers had witnessed the changes in their schools and were
generally delighted with the initiative. The role of adults in
the dining room and the social practices within the dining room
are important aspects of the initiative."[126]
9. Kuo, F E (2006) Horticulture, wellbeing
and mental health: from intuitions to evidence.
This review of research linking horticulture
with improved wellbeing found a diverse range of beneficial behavioural
outcomes that are likely to influence children's time at school,
including lower incidence of aggression, greater ability to cope
with poverty, better life functioning, greater life satisfaction,
reduced attention deficit symptoms, greater strength of community.[127]
10. Mental Health Foundation (2005) Feeding
minds. The impact of food on mental health. London: Mental
Health Foundation.
"Many parents, teachers and others have
reported great improvements when dietary changes are introduced
to children with ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder].
Two food groups that have been implicated through clinical research
are essential fatty acids (EFAs) and minerals. Studies have found
some EFAs to be significantly low in hyperactive children. A similar
relationship has been found with levels of iron in children with
symptoms of ADHD."[128]
11. School Food Trust (2007) School lunch
and behaviour: systematic observation of classroom behaviour following
a school dining room intervention.
"A combined nutrition-environment intervention
in primary schools had a beneficial impact on pupils' behaviour
in the teacher-pupil setting, but was associated with increased
off-task behaviours when pupils were being asked to work together
without direct teacher supervision. The nutrition-first intervention
was more powerfully associated with this effect than the environment-first
intervention. The findings are consistent with the more subjective
anecdotal evidence from teachers that pupils are more on-task
following a healthier lunch in school."[129]
12. School Food Trust (2009) School lunch
and learning behaviour in primary schools: an intervention study.
"Primary school pupils were more alert and
over three times more likely to be `on-task' working with the
teacher in the classroom after lunch, following an intervention
to improve the dining environment and the nutritional quality
of the food served."[130]
13. School Food Trust (2009) School lunch
and learning behaviour in secondary schools: an intervention study.
"Secondary school pupils were more on-task
(concentrating and engaged) and less off-task (disengaged) in
the classroom after lunch following a lunchtime intervention to
improve the dining environment and the nutritional quality of
the food."[131]
14. Van de Weyer, C. (2005) Changing
diets, changing minds: how food affects mental well being and
behaviour. London: Sustain.
"Several studies have shown that children
who eat breakfast can improve their daily and long-term academic
performance."[132]
15. "A number of published studies
have shown that hungry children behave worse in school, registering
reductions in fighting and absence and increased attention when
meals are provided."[133]
EVIDENCE FOR
THE COMMITTEE
We are pleased to respond to the following points:
— How to support and reinforce positive
behaviour in schools.
— Approaches taken by schools and local
authorities to address challenging behaviour, including fixed-term
and permanent exclusions.
16. As the evidence above suggests, ensuring
that sufficient quantities of healthy food are available to every
child should be a key part of measures to support and reinforce
positive behaviour in schools and address challenging behaviour.
In particular, we make the following recommendations:
School lunches
17. The nutritional standards for school
meals and additional standards for other food available in schools
should be retained, with compliance monitored through Ofsted inspections.
18. School capital funding should be ring-fenced
where necessary for spending on installing and maintaining dining
facilities and kitchens sufficient for producing freshly-prepared
meals for all pupils.
19. The School Lunch Grant should be retained
and ring-fenced in order to support the transformation of the
school meals service which is still underway. Doing so would enable
the increase in school meal take-up to continue to a level at
which the service is economically viable. Failure to do so is
likely to lead to the quality of school meals falling, resulting
in declining take up.
20. The Department for Education should
require the introduction of stay-on-site policies for the whole
school population.
21. We believe that the benefits of healthy
school meals are sufficient to warrant the universal provision
of free meals to all pupils. However, we recognise that fiscal
constraints will prevent the implementation of such a policy in
the short-term. Therefore we advise that attention should be paid
to improving uptake amongst children already eligible for free
school meals, for example by removing stigmatisation through the
implementation of cashless systems. Plans to extend eligibility
for free school meals to all primary school children living in
poverty (not just those from families receiving out-of-work benefits),
which were cancelled in June 2010, should also be reinstated.
Breakfast clubs
22. Every child from a household with an
income below the poverty line should be eligible for a free healthy
breakfast, and the Department of Education should provide additional
funding to assist schools to set up breakfast clubs. This mirrors
the recommendation of the Associate Parliamentary Food and Health
Forum.[134]
We further suggest that such funding could be part of the Pupil
Premium. The quotes in Appendix A give an indication of the value
placed on breakfast clubs by staff in schools where Magic Breakfast
(www.magicbreakfast.com), a child nutrition charity, operates.
Food education
23. Food growing activities should happen
routinely in every school as part of the school day, not solely
as an extra-curricula activity. Funding should be made available
for schools to install gardens and run after-school gardening
clubs as preventative therapy.
— Ways of engaging parents and carers in
managing their children's challenging behaviour.
24. Food provides a particularly valuable
way of engaging parents and carers in managing their children's
behaviour, and their children's education more broadly. Parents
and families should be invited to join the children for a healthy
school lunch and to take part in nutrition education programmes.
APPENDIX A: THE
VALUE OF
BREAKFAST CLUBS
25. The quotes below are from teachers commenting
on the difference the "Magic Breakfast" initiative has
made to the behaviour of the children in their classrooms:[135]
26. "I've seen a child slip under his
desk, faint with hunger. I've taken him out, given him a drink
and one of your bagels and he sprang back into life. He'd probably
not eaten anything since school dinner the day before. That's
why we rely on Magic Breakfast."
27. "With breakfast, children are ready
and able to learn. Oliver was on report nearly every day for disruptive
behaviour. Since coming to the breakfast club he's become a bright
and engaged student who is eager to participate in lessons."
28. "Zara, one of our youngest children,
often gets in late and quite upset. And if she kicks off, the
whole school kicks off. When we realised it was down to hunger
we started giving her a bagel and some milk, which settled her
down and meant she could join her class without disrupting the
other children."
29. "Jamil is on the street from 7am,
he eats more than anyone else in the club. He is doing quite well
in school now, but if the club wasn't there, he'd just go without"
30. "We have two brothers who were
being left in the playground early in the morning and would barely
make it into class before being sent to the office for disrupting
the class. Since they've been going to breakfast club not only
are they happier and more settled, but their performance has improved
and it's been a long time since we've seen them in the office!"
31. "One of our boys suffered from
relatively severe behavioural issues which prevented his mother
from seeking work. Since he has been coming to our clubs she has
been able to complete her education and has just started her new
job. Her son is much happier and more settled and his behaviour
is significantly improved."
32. "One of our children was quite
disruptive and unhappy. Now he's coming to breakfast club he's
much happier and his teacher has told us that he's stopped throwing
tantrums first thing in the morning."
September 2010
124 Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum (2008)
Links between diet and behaviour. The influence of nutrition
on mental health. London: Associate Parliamentary Food and
Health Forum. Back
125
Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum (2008) Links
between diet and behaviour. The influence of nutrition on mental
health. London: Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum. Back
126
Colquhoun, D., Wright, N., Pike, J., Gatenby, L. (2008) Evaluation
of Eat Well Do Well: Kingston upon Hull's School Meal Initiative.
Hull: Centre for Educational Studies. Back
127
Kuo, F.E. (2006) Horticulture, wellbeing and mental health: from
intuitions to evidence, ISHS Acta Horticulturae 639: XXVI International
Horticultural Congress: Expanding Roles for Horticulture in Improving
Human Well-Being and Life Quality. Back
128
Mental Health Foundation (2005) Feeding minds. The impact
of food on mental health. London: Mental Health Foundation. Back
129
School Food Trust (2007) School lunch and behaviour: systematic
observation of classroom behaviour following a school dining room
intervention. Sheffield: School Food Trust. Back
130
School Food Trust (2009) School lunch and learning behaviour
in primary schools: an intervention study. Sheffield: School
Food Trust. Back
131
School Food Trust (2009) School lunch and learning behaviour
in secondary schools: an intervention study. Sheffield: School
Food Trust. Back
132
Van de Weyer, C. (2005) Changing diets, changing minds: how
food affects mental well being and behaviour. London: Sustain. Back
133
Van de Weyer, C. (2005) Changing diets, changing minds: how
food affects mental well being and behaviour. London: Sustain. Back
134
Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum (2008) Links
between diet and behaviour. The influence of nutrition on mental
health. London: Associate Parliamentary Food and Health Forum. Back
135
Magic Breakfast (2007) Magic Breakfast Stories. Available: http://www.magicbreakfast.com/about/magic_breakfast_stories
[29 September 2010]. Back
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