King's College London Primary School Meals Research

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0100 KCLCA PRI
Held at	: King's College London College Archives   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/library/archivespec/ ›
Full title	: King's College London Primary School Meals Research
Date(s)	: 2004-2006
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 10 boxes, 1.0 cubic metres
Name of creator(s)	: King's College London | Department of Nutrition and Dietetics

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at King's College London developed the Primary School Meals Research Project, 2004-2005. It was funded by the Department for Education and Skills and the Food Standards Agency, as a result of growing concern about childrens' diets and the quality of school meals.

In 1941, the first nutritional standards for school meals were established and later updated several times and for the last time in 1975. However, the Education Act, 1980, removed such nutritional standards and obligations from Local Education Authorities. In 2001 statutory National Nutritional Standards for school lunches were re-introduced. In order to understand the potential changes in the contribution of school lunches to daily intake and following the re-introduction of these standards, a survey of school meals, in a representative sample of English primary schools, was commissioned.

The study had three aims; to assess whether the food provided by school caterers met the 2001 National Nutritional Standards; to assess whether food provided met the guidelines set out by the Caroline Walker Trust in 1992 and to identify the food consumption and nutritional intakes of primary school children from school meals and to compare these with the Caroline Walker Trust guidelines. The food choices of 7058 children from a representative sample of 151 English primary schools were collated and data was collected at the school and pupil level. Interviewers from market research company, Taylor Nelson Sofres, were used and managed by Dr Michael Nelson, senior lecturer at King's College London. This project resulted in the publication of School Meals in Primary Schools in England, 2006.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

King's College London Primary School Meals Research Project, 2004-2005 comprises research data used within the School Meals in Primary Schools in England report, 2006. The collection contains data entry forms used within the 151 primary schools to compile research; information concerning pilot schools and training materials used; school specification analysis tools, recipes and artefacts used in schools.

The research data section (6 boxes), comprises the majority of the collection, notably including school meal check lists and portion weight booklets for each school involved, 2004-2005.

The collection includes information concerning pilot schools and training (1 box); these files relate to individual schools and can include fixed price choice menus, 2004-2005; school caterer telephone interview forms, 2004-2005; semi structured interview with bursar/head/LEA forms, 2004-2005; pilot school reply forms, 2004-2005; letters to teachers providing information about the research project, 2004-2005; tray check forms, 2004-2005; free school meal checklists, 2004-2005 and portion weight booklets, 2004-2005.

School specification analysis tools and three year service level agreements for catering at schools involved, 2004-2005 (1 box) and recipes used in participating schools, listing ingredients, methodology and number of portions, 2004-2005 and plastic food, perhaps toys used within schools, 2004-2005; sample dinner trays, 2004-2005; laminated daily menus, 2004-2005; food related flash cards, 2004-2005; further research data, 2004-2005, copies of the research brief and final report, 2006 (1 box).

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Arranged in accession order as above.

Conditions governing access:

Administrative records are generally closed for 30 years except for published material.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Director of Archive Services.

Finding aids:

No additional finding aids exist.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Transferred to King's College London College Archives by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2007

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Nelson M, Nicholas J, Suleiman S, Davies O, Prior G, Hall L, Wreford S, Poulter J, School Meals in Primary Schools in England, Research Report 753 (London, Department for Education and Skills, 2006).

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Compiled by Samantha Velumyl.

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
January 2008