Urswick School bans packed lunches

Urswick School students. Photograph: The Urswick School

A Hackney school has reacted to the government’s school food review by banning packed lunches and introducing free meals.

The Urswick School in Paragon Road, off Mare Street, is the latest to have taken the advice of two founders of the Leon restaurant chain who want to promote healthy eating by increasing the take-up of school dinners.

The review, supported by Education Secretary Michael Gove, appealed to headteachers to reduce the price of school meals after finding that the food parents were providing was not as healthy as the food on offer in school canteens.

The Urswick School’s headteacher Richard Brown will go a step further by making the meals free for students from years seven to 11 from the start of the new school year, and this will be paid for by income generated through lettings of school properties on evenings and weekends.

Mr Brown said: “We know that many working families are struggling during difficult times at present, but may not qualify for free school meals. We want to ensure that our students learn effectively and feel that the best way to do this is to provide them with a healthy lunch.”

The plan to ban packed lunches is controversial as it means parents will be denied the chance to decide what their children eat.

Petchey Academy, which is renowned for its healthy food, already has a no packed lunches policy, as does City Academy.

Stoke Newington parent, Richard Tarrant, said he could see both sides of the argument over packed lunches.

He said: “Quite a lot of the packed lunches will be rubbish. It’s depressing when the kids sit down and someone gets out two packets of crisps.”

But he said he was concerned that children simply will not eat or turn up for a meal if they do not want the school food.

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