LGA calls for new food standards to apply to all academies

The tougher food school standards – which require schools to reduce the range of processed foods, have minimum protein options and serve more fruit and vegetables – apply to council maintained schools, free schools and academies set up from June 2014 and those that converted to academy status between September 2008 and September 2010.

However, academies set up between 2010 and 2014, covering up to two million pupils, are exempt from the standards, because the government was concerned it would require "cumbersome" legislation to address it. Instead, academies have been asked to make a voluntary commitment to the standards, which come into force this week.

A number of academy chains have already signed up to the standards, but the LGA is calling on the government to address the anomaly by requiring all schools comply with them.

David Simmonds, chair of the LGA’s children and young people’s board, said the current arrangements create a two-tier system for school food standards.

“School autonomy is supposed to drive up standards but in the case of school meals one type of school can effectively exempt pupils from healthy choices.

“With ample evidence that good food supports good learning in the classroom, all schools should meet the same high standards.”

The LGA is also concerned that free school meals provided by primary academies that choose not to sign up to the new standards will be of poorer nutritional quality compared to those served by council-maintained schools.

Simmonds added: “It is a particular worry given that for many children who receive free school meals, lunch is often their main meal of the day.

“Councils are responsible for the challenge of tackling obesity and poor diet as part of our public health responsibilities.

“No school should be exempt from these important standards and we urge the government to make regulations on school food mandatory to ensure every child receives healthy and nutritious food.”

When the standards were published in June 2014, the government said: “We are aware of the concerns that academies set up between September 2010 and 2014 have not been required to comply with the standards. Rather than introduce cumbersome new legislation to introduce a post-dated clause, the School Food Plan’s authors are asking these academies to make a voluntary commitment to comply with the regulations."