Strong support for free food education in UK schools

Food education

Teachers across the UK believe no pupil should have to pay for ingredients for cookery lessons in school, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University surveyed more than 1000 teachers of food education to explore the barriers to practical food education faced by pupils in secondary schools across the four nations.

The research was set against the context of the rising cost of ingredients and concerns of a postcode lottery of food education provision across the UK. Since 2021, The Scottish Government has provided local government with funds to remove the need for pupils to supply ingredients or contribute to the cost.

Figures show 78% of teachers outside of Scotland believe that cost is a barrier to pupils accessing food education and most teachers believe that families should not be asked to contribute to the cost of food education, with the strongest support for no additional costs in Scotland  - 81%, compared to 55% in the rest of the UK.

Professor John McKendrick, co-director of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “The research demonstrates strong support for free food education across the UK, with most practitioners opining it should be free.

“There is significant variation across the UK, which suggests the need for national conversations to explore the UK-wide issues raised in this report.”

Most teachers reported changes to classroom practice in the current school year. These changes include adapting recipes to make them more affordable and, in some cases, pupils being asked to cook in pairs.

One-third of teachers reported that their school had increased the amount of financial contribution required of families for the 2022/23 school year

Gary MacLean, Scotland’s National Chef, said: “Teaching kids to cook in school is a valuable investment in their physical and mental wellbeing that will benefit them throughout their lives. It is vital information that hopefully can be used to support the vital work done in our schools.”

Lindsay Graham, Deputy Chair, Poverty and Inequality Commission Scotland, added: “This report into practical food education in the UK highlights some troubling issues. It paints a picture of rising food costs, lack or loss of technician support, extra shopping time to source cheaper ingredients, and teachers spending their own money on food for use in school and claiming it back later. This all suggests an undervaluing of cookery and food education, at a time when our hospitality and catering industries are experiencing serious recruitment and retention challenges.

“Such an important part of our young people’s lifelong education should not be undermined in this way. More support must be made available for this topic area to ensure that our young people are able to access and take part in all aspects of food education at school without the burden of cost, particularly for low-income families.”