HEALTHY food seems to have proved a hit in Oxfordshire secondary schools as more pupils sign up for school dinners.

Bucking a national drop in pupils taking school dinners, several county secondary schools have reported an increase since they cut out junk food and introduced healthy eating options on their menus.

Unimpressed with the nutritional content of food produced by outside caterers, Oxford's Cheney School spent £250,000 refurbishing its 50-year-old kitchens and from September, has been cooking its food on-site.

For £2.40, students can choose four hot or cold items, including a side salad and pudding.

Headteacher Alan Lane said a third more children were now having school meals.

He added: "Having school meals now is a very pleasant experience and it's both good nutritionally and socially, whereas before it was not one of the school's strongest features.

"I think the changes made to the meals service are one of the best things to happen to the school in the past three years."

Peers School in Littlemore reported a similar situation.

Headteacher Lorna Caldicott said since they opened their own canteen on site in September, the number of pupils - and staff - taking school dinners was on the rise, something she attributed to a healthier, more varied menu and choice of meal times.

She said: "The pupils are just enjoying eating a nice meal and chatting to their friends."

At Matthew Arnold School, Cumnor, headteacher Katherine Ryan said takings for meals were down but she believed this was not a reaction to the introduction of healthier meals, but a result of the additional time it took to serve children the new 'restaurant-style' menu. She said the removal of snack vending machines had also made a dent in finances.

Rod Walker, headteacher of Henry Box School, Witney, said: "We have noticed a slight decline in the number of pupils having school lunches.

"Our contractors, Harrisons, of Thame, have always been very good at providing healthy and tasty meals. It just seems to be a trend away from school lunches. It's a concern."

In a survey for BBC News, 35 of 59 local authorities questioned said the number of pupils eating school dinners had gone down. Of those, 71 per cent agreed that Jamie Oliver's healthy meals campaign was a reason. Overall, there was a decline of 5.8 per cent, though some areas had seen decreases of up to 30 per cent.

The county council said the number of children eating school meals had been declining for the past two years - by 15 per cent at primary schools and 20 per cent at secondary schools.

However, the council said it did not attribute the fall to healthier food.

  • Henley MP Boris Johnson suggested yesterday that one solution would be for all children to be required to eat meals cooked in the school canteen - rather than going to local shops or bringing in packed lunches.