ASCL welcomes the government commitment to reviewing the school food standards, it is important to recognise that updating the standards, however well-intentioned won’t fix the problem of obesity and poor nutrition on its own because there are so many other forces in society which are pulling in the opposite direction.

We call on the government to have a cross-government approach (including health) to fixing the problems, to provide schools with support for implementation by sufficiently funding school food, provide additional capital funding for schools to implement the new standards and provide training materials and guidance for all schools.

To confirm, ASCL are supportive of the intent of the proposed school food standards.  However, turning policy into practical implementation needs to be supported by funding, technical support, guidance and training for schools.

Full response to consultation