Herts-led researchers launch food inequality research
The University of Hertfordshire has announced new research into school food inequalities that will ultimately be rolled out to special schools across the East of England.
Researchers led by Herts and including academics from the University of Essex, have begun to gather evidence about how more children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) could have improved access to healthy food at school.
This study is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Dr Amanda Ludlow, Reader in psychology at Herts, joint lead for the research, said:
“Children with SEND are more likely to grow up in poverty than other children, and schools are acknowledged as key influencers for children’s health and wellbeing, because schools provide both food for children to eat and they educate children on health and nutrition
“School meals can therefore play an important role in alleviating the impact of poverty on children’s diets and overall wellbeing, particularly as most children with SEND are also eligible for free school meals. But nutritious school meals are not always accessible to children with SEND.”
The researchers will gather new evidence and consult with a diverse range of groups that includes children themselves, parents, teachers, caterers and others, including speech and language therapists and those working on SEND education in local authorities.
Researchers want to identify both what “good food” looks like for special schools, and what the challenges and opportunities are for making it accessible to more children with SEND.
At the heart of the project is exploring with stakeholders whether the Healthy Zones initiative, devised and delivered by School Food Matters for mainstream schools, can successfully be adapted for special schools. Currently in the process of evaluation, that initiative is showing early positive results.
The development research will feed into a proposal for a larger study which will lead to an approach implemented across special schools in the East of England.
Rebecca O’Connell, Professor of Food, Families and Society at the University of Hertfordshire is joint lead for the research. She said:
“We want more SEND children to be able to access and enjoy inclusive, nutritious food provision at school.
“Improved school meal uptake can improve children’s nutrition, mental health and learning, and support family finances, as well as provide benefits for the school such as improved attendance, behaviour and belonging.
“However, not only do schools face many challenges in providing nutritious, inclusive meals, it is not straightforward to agree what good food looks like or how to deliver it in special schools.
“This is why this study is so important to help ensure we can include different perspectives in shaping the future intervention and its evaluation, as well as guide us on how to ensure we involve people in ways that work for them.”
The new evidence and diverse perspectives will shape a future “whole school” intervention. Within this, pupils will be empowered to have more say about school food and developing school food policies, and access to healthier food throughout the school day, including healthier breakfast and after-school club menus.
The initial project will complete early in 2025 and the larger scale one will be applied for during the Spring. You can also read about the project generally on the School Food Matters website.
Earlier this year Herts’ Professor Wendy Wills, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise and Professor of Food and Public Health, gave evidence to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee looking at ultra-processed foods.
Click here to find out more about studying for a research degree in nutrition at Herts.
This study is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR163616). Any views expressed are those of the research team and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.