Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that schools cater for all dietary requirements for students entitled to free school meals.

Food allergies can be complex and worrying for parents and because of their complexity, it would not be appropriate for the department to legislate that food providers cater for all dietary requirements. However, through legislation, the minimum standards for school food have been set out. Guidance for schools is available on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools. Additional supporting information on allergies is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.

Beyond this headteachers, school governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies taking account of local and individual circumstances. We allocate £440 of funding per child, per year (which is the equivalent of £2.30 per day for a school year) to local authorities for each of the pupils in their area eligible for free school meals. Local authorities then distribute this money to schools through their local funding formula. School leaders then have autonomy over how this funding is used in relation to their school meal arrangements.