Dear Mr Seymour,
Having a centralised lunch programme for schools might seem like an attractive cost saving option to you, but I can tell you from programmes I have filmed in Sweden, Finland, and Porirua that empowering each school with a set amount of allocated funds to provide sit down lunches for their tamariki is a much cleverer option that I urge you to consider.
Why? Because schools can not only provide culturally appropriate food prepared by local people who understand and interact with the children. A school organised menu can also cater for kids with allergies.
There are huge social benefits in a sit down lunch programme for the school. If you watch the Porirua School in this clip for example you will see children learning social skills that improves their behaviour - older children learning to serve food hygienically and helping the younger ones. ( Rather than bullying them).
But don’t listen to me. I have supplied this clip from my documentary Inside Child Poverty Revisited so you can listen to the teachers talk about how everyone sitting down at lunch time produces a positive family atmosphere in a school and helps defuse behavioural issues as well as imorove educational outcomes.
This clip will also give you some of historical background to the school lunch issue in our country.
The whole documentary is available on THREE NOW or you can watch it here at the New York Festival Site where it won a Silver Award. Just post the link into your browser.
https://tvfilm.newyorkfestivals.com/winners/List/7839e438-6aec-439e-bf9a-7ca894d7d5dd
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