About this departmental advice
This advice will help recipients when planning and providing food in schools. It explains how legislation applies to food provided within schools in England. It outlines the role of local authorities and school governing bodies, and stipulates the legal requirements for food provided across the school day.
We use the term ‘must’ when the person in question is legally required to do something and ‘should’ when advice is being offered.
Expiry/Review date
This departmental advice will be reviewed in September 2012.
What legislation does this departmental advice relate to?
- Sections 512, 512ZA, 512ZB, 512A and 533 of the Education Act 1996, as amended
- Section 114A of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998
- 2007 No. 2359 The Education (Nutritional Standards and Requirements for School Food) (England) Regulations 2007, as amended by S.I. 2008/1800 and S.I. 2011/2190 (‘the School Food Regulations’).
Who is this departmental advice for?
This advice is for local authorities and governing bodies of all local authority-maintained primary, secondary, special schools and pupil referral units in England, who provide food to registered pupils.
