The rate of improvement in the standard of school meals was found to be more rapid in primary schools compared to secondary schools.  In the primary schools visited, pupils were developing and using skills to make informed choices about healthier meals.  By comparison, secondary school students did not always apply their knowledge when making their choices at lunchtimes.  

 A second report, Food technology in secondary schools, confirms that pupils spend too little time learning how to cook nutritious meals and too much time on written work. It also highlights confusion about whether food should be taught as a life skill or as a medium for teaching design and technology.

The reports coincide with an opinion poll conducted on behalf of Ofsted where more than 200 parents were asked for their views on school meals. More than half of parents surveyed, whose children eat school meals, believed that the quality of these meals was good or better. However, this figure drops to 19 per cent when the same parents were asked for their opinion of the quality of school meals nationally.

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