Daily roundup: healthy eating, teacher strikes and reading ability

Packed lunches could be banned and pupils barred from leaving school during breaks to buy junk food under a government plan to increase the take-up of school meals. The Guardian reports that the plan will suggest there is a link between nutrition and academic performance, and highlight that studies show most school meals are a healthier option than packed lunches.

Members of the NASUWT and NUT teaching unions have announced a series of one-day strikes planned for the autumn academic term. Rolling strikes will take place on dates to be decided in late September and mid-October, while a national "all-out" strike is planned before Christmas. Union leaders say the industrial action has been called in response to Education Secretary Michael Gove's "relentless attack on the teaching profession".

The brightest boys from poor homes in England and Scotland are at least two-and-a-half years behind in reading compared with those from the richest homes, a study suggests. Research for the Sutton Trust educational charity analysed scores for 15-year-olds in Pisa tests carried out for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It found that children's reading skills as a whole is heavily linked to their socio-economic background.