Frequently asked questions

The School Food Project is a national initiative supporting schools to deliver high quality food and meaningful food education, in line with the new School Food Standards.

It is focused on practical implementation in England, including:

• Training for school chefs and teams
• Menus, recipes, guidance and e-learning through a national online hub
• Support for whole-school approaches to food, from the dining hall to the classroom

The online resources hub will share free to access resources and live learning sessions to support schools across the UK and beyond.

The aim is to turn policy ambition into consistent, real-world change in schools.

The project is delivered by a coalition of organisations working across school food, health and education:

• Bite Back
• Chefs in Schools
• Ministry of Food Foundation (by Jamie Oliver Group)
• School Food Matters
• The Food Foundation

Each brings different expertise in delivering a whole school approach to food and food education in schools, from pupil engagement, to culinary development, chef training and working with school senior leadership.

The project is supported by a collection of philanthropic organisations, led by the Henry Smith Foundation.

If you are interested in supporting the work of the School Food Project, please contact [email protected].

* The Ministry of Food Foundation and Jamie Oliver Group do not receive philanthropic funding from the School Food Project.

The School Food Project is not a standalone organisation.

It is a collaborative programme delivered by existing not-for-profit organisations, which remain responsible for governance and delivery.

Core support through the School Food Project Hub is designed to be free at the point of use.

This includes access to:

• High quality, ready-to-use menus and recipes aligned to the new standards
• Training and development for school chefs and teams
• Practical tools to help schools improve food quality within existing budgets

The focus is on making it easier for schools to deliver excellent food without adding cost or complexity, particularly at a point of significant change.

Organisations may offer optional paid for services alongside free resources, to reduce reliance on philanthropic funding.

The School Food Project is designed to help schools make the most of a major moment of change, and to help the Government maximise the success of policy initiatives.

With the expansion of free school meals and the introduction of updated School Food Standards, there is a significant opportunity to improve what children eat at school.

The project supports schools to:

• Maximise the benefits of free school meal expansion
• Deliver the ambitions set out in the new School Food Standards consultation
• Embed these changes in a way that is practical and sustainable

The programme will support schools from September 2026, aligned with the roll-out of free school meal entitlement to all households in receipt of Universal Credit.

The project supports:

• School leaders and governors
• School chefs, catering teams and providers
• Multi-academy trusts and local authorities

It is designed to work across the whole school food system.

Caterers and suppliers are central to delivering school food day to day.

The School Food Project works with the sector through training, resources and collaboration to support high quality provision across different delivery models.

The aim is to ensure that improved standards translate into consistently better food and stronger food education in schools.

This includes:

• More nutritious, appealing meals that children want to eat
• Increased uptake of school meals
• Greater confidence and capability within school chefs and catering teams
• Food education that helps children understand and enjoy what they eat

Together, this supports better health, learning and long-term food habits.

The introduction of updated School Food Standards and wider changes to free school meals creates a rare opportunity to improve school food at scale.

The School Food Project is focused on ensuring that this moment leads to lasting, practical change in schools.

Further information on how schools can take part, access resources and engage with the programme will be shared as the project rolls out ahead of September 2026. Please sign up to our mailing list to find out the latest news.

The programme is designed to be inclusive of primary, secondary, all-through, SEND and alternative provision schools. All five partner organisations are equipped to support SEND provision, and delivery plans are tailored to the specific needs and context of each setting. We are actively aiming for distinct SEND representation across our programme; ensuring SEND representation remains a core priority to reflect the needs of all pupils.

There will be packed lunch guidance for schools and families on the School Food Project resource Hub as part of the programme’s whole school approach to food.

Both the online resource and in-person training include the following topics: financial, environmental and social impacts of food waste, types of food waste, ways to reduce food waste, how to measure waste, how to engage pupils with the issues, the relationship between portion sizes and wastage, and how to adopt a whole school approach. The hub also features real world case studies from our community of schools.

Targeting areas of high deprivation is key for us and has influenced programme design. Our whole-school approach focuses on community engagement to ensure food is celebrated and embraced. Schools with higher levels of deprivation, including free school meal eligibility and other deprivation indicators, have been central to our approach throughout.