Working with the Adapt-Ed team on inclusive school food

I’ve really valued being part of the Adapt-Ed project at the University of Hertfordshire and co-authoring its recent policy report on improving school food for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Adapt-Ed is a NIHR-funded study led by the University of Hertfordshire that explores how special schools in England can better support healthy, inclusive eating for children with SEND, addressing inequalities in nutrition, wellbeing and access to school food.

The study found that a significant number of children with SEND are missing out on free school meals – including one in four eligible pupils in special schools and more than one in five infants who do not access their universal entitlement. It also revealed wide variation in school food practices, highlighting that small, sensory-aware adjustments can make a big difference to children’s wellbeing, while current funding and logistical barriers risk widening existing inequalities.

Working with the Adapt-Ed team and charity School Food Matters, we translated these findings into a clear set of realistic policy asks. We recommended:

·       Stronger, evidence-based support for school food in SEND settings, asking the Department for Education to commit to publishing new SEND-specific guidance as part of the resources it offers schools on applying the school food standards.  

·       Setting up a government taskforce to investigate why free school meal uptake is so low in special schools.

·       Closing critical data gaps, including identifying how many children with SEND in mainstream schools are not receiving their free school meal entitlement.

·       Reviewing funding to reflect the complex needs of SEND pupils.

·       Ensure breakfast provision is flexible and accessible for all children with SEND.

From a personal perspective, this work was especially satisfying because it brings my research journey at Herts full circle. My first policy project there looked at school food and pupils’ purchasing behaviours beyond the school gate.

If we are serious about school food as a lever for health, social participation and equity, we need to focus on the settings and groups that are too often left behind. The Adapt-Ed Project is a valuable step in that direction and I’m looking forward to seeing what the team does next, including the anticipated trial of an adapted intervention for special schools.

Read the Adapt-Ed policy brief: Improving school food for children with SEND.