Parents' attitudes towards school meals for primary school children in 1981

Parents' opinions on the school meals system were obtained for 6468 English and 1977 Scottish parents in 1981, a year after new legislation for the school meals system was introduced in the UK. Uptake of school meals was 54.5 per cent and 29.6 per cent in the English and Scottish areas respectively. This was lower than at any time in the 1970s. Subscribers to the system were mainly from poorer sectors of the community and were less critical of it. The high price for school meals was the main factor in England that explained whether a child would take a midday meal at school. The nutritional advantages and disadvantages of school meals were recognized as more important characteristics of the system than provision for the child of a safe place to stay, an opportunity for social interaction or a reduction in the mother's time spent travelling. Poor families in wealthier communities, more than elsewhere, may be reluctant to claim free school meals because the demand for the service in the wealthy areas is lower than in the poorer areas and an individual child may be more easily identified by their classmates as receiving free lunches. The readiness of parents to take the child out of the scheme if he or she dislikes the meals may result in catering planners in schools being more prone to make easily available convenience foods which are attractive to children instead of less popular but healthier food.