Creating Value In Schools
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The research report Cost of a School Meal arose from concerns that school meal funding has not kept up with inflation, especially with large and rapid food and labour cost increases in recent years.
The purpose of the School Food Matters project was to review data on current school meal costs, within different settings, phases and governance types, and to determine a future recommended cost of a school meal.
The research indicated that school meal costs are currently tethered to the 2023/24 FSM/UIFSM rate of £2.53, but are still at least 38p above this, revealing a major funding gap.
This funding gap impacts in a number of ways, including the following.
Some settings face particular challenges. Small schools (primary schools below 150 covers and secondary below 750) struggle to break even, as they can’t benefit from the economies of scale available in larger schools. Costs within SEND settings far outstrip the FSM funding rate.
The report’s main finding is that a new costing model is needed, with a recommended funding rate of £3.16 per school meal.
Other recommendations included:
