1879 – To encourage attendance and help pupils concentrate the City of Manchester started giving primary school children a free hot meal.
1906 – The 1906 Education Act was passed which allowed schools to provide free meals to all children. Only one third of councils started offering a free meal and Rochdale was one of these. Pupils could expect warm porridge, bread with dripping and a glass of milk.
1944 – Became compulsory for all local authorities to provide free school dinners. School meals were part of a national effort to boost children’s health and ensure good nutrition during food rationing of World War 2.
1946 – Free milk became compulsory. Food rationing was still in place after World War 2. School dinners featured tinned meats and mash with jam roly-poly puddings.
1949 – Schools were no longer required to provide free meals for all, only for children whose parents were unemployed or on a low income.
1980 – Schools in Rochdale were required to provide Halal meals for pupils. In the same year Margaret Thatcher’s government introduced a new Education Act which removed the minimum nutrition standard for school meals.
2005 – Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver made a 4 part TV programme highlighting how unhealthy food had become a staple of many school dinners. Over 270,000 people signed a petition calling for the government to provide healthier options. However, Jamie’s campaign gave all school dinners a bad reputation and cooks like Lorraine and her fellow kitchen staff were working hard to provide healthy meals despite their small budgets.
2014 – Schools were required to provide an alternative meal for pupils with allergies.
Today – School meals have returned to being healthy. Every school meal is required to include at least one portion of vegetables or salad. Pupils are able to choose from a wide variety of fruit and vegetables as part of their lunch.
Dinner money envelope – Castleton Primary
Tin of Bird’s custard powder, original flavour, price tag from shopping giant, 39 and a half pence
Our Community Curator Lorraine’s cookery book
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