A BASINGSTOKE headteacher has spoken of the advantages of a Government scheme to offer all children in key stage one a free school meal.

Speaking during National School Meals Week from November 3 to 7, Alison Story-Scrivens, head at Castle Hill Infant School, in Winklebury, said: “The introduction of free school meals for infant school children is a massive opportunity for the children to have a healthy, hot school dinner each day. It gives the children a chance to meet together as a school family, in a social context, and enables them to interact with the staff outside of the classroom and develop their social skills.

“Without realising it, the children are learning about a balanced diet and this learning filters through in their curriculum studies.”

However, she said introducing free school meals has not been without its challenges, adding: “The staff and governors at Castle Hill have worked in close partnership with the county council, including HC3S (the council’s catering service) to make this happen so successfully. In doing so we made some significant changes, with support of the pupils, such as having table cloths and bread on the table for children to help themselves to as they sit down.

“We also have new plates, bowls and cutlery and the children in years one and two enjoy volunteering to be servers.”

Children returning to school after half-term have a new lunch menu to enjoy, which includes favourites of macaroni cheese and roast chicken, as well as new dishes such as beef curry, sweet and sour quorn and a new dessert of apple cake.

HC3S will serve a million meals a month to the county’s school pupils, after take-up rose by 20,000 meals, to over 60,000 meals eaten every school day since the start of the autumn term.

This was an 80 per cent increase following the introduction of the free school meals for four to seven-year-olds.

Councillor Peter Edgar, executive member for education at Hampshire County Council, said: “Enjoying a hot school meal plays an important role in the development of healthy eating habits among children, which can be the key to children maintaining a healthy weight.

“The school meals service provides meals that both taste good and are nutritionally balanced, working closely with schools, pupils and parents to create varied menus.”

He added that schools had coped well with the introduction of free school meals, adding: “Staff in schools and across the county council worked with contractors to pull out all the stops to ensure work to school kitchen facilities to increase capacity was completed on time – working late into the evenings where necessary.”