School meals in North Somerset join January sales

A six-week trial with 20 local primary schools will begin when pupils return from the holidays in January, giving children the chance to try a tasty and nutritious school meal at almost half the normal price. The scheme is being run by the School Food Trust, with support from North Somerset Council and the council's school meal caterers, Edwards & Ward. "We want to reach those pupils who have not tried a school meal before, or perhaps only have a meal occasionally," explains Chris Wainwright, Director of Communications for the School Food Trust. "We are confident that if children and parents try school meals for six weeks, they will start to see the benefits. "For children, having a healthy and varied lunch can make it easier to concentrate in lessons while for parents, school meals can save time spent on creating packed lunches every day. Some parents also tell us that school lunches have helped to make their children less fussy about what they eat." Cllr Jeremy Blatchford, North Somerset Council's executive member for children and young people's services, said: "The quality of school meals has improved drastically over the last couple of years and this will be a great opportunity for children who do not normally have school dinners to see just how good they are. I would encourage all parents of children at the schools involved in this initiative to take up the offer."