19th Jan 2009 - 00:00
Abstract
Over 40% of parents would encourage their children to have school meals if the quality improved.
A survey from Families and Children in Edinburgh (FACe) asked 200 parents in the area what factors would persuade them to send their children for school meals. 23% said they would like to see more menu choice and 25% suggested they would be more keen on school meals if they were cheaper. FACe said they had received comments as well as votes in the poll: "One parent contacted us to tell us that her daughter is a slow eater and for this reason has had to be withdrawn from school meals. She explained that if her daughter had more time to eat her lunch, she would be more than happy for her to receive them." Around 10% of parents highlighted how they would like to see better dining facilities in schools for children. FACe added: "We now plan to carry out more detailed research to explore all the issues in depth and later this month focus groups are taking place in a number of schools with pupils, parents and staff. The findings from these groups and this survey will help influence how we develop our school meals service in Edinburgh."