London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Tottenham 1942

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]

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20
Nutrition and School Meals.
We have found that there are no apparent signs of deterioration
in children's health although meat, fats, eggs, fruit, etc., are
very limited. But the effect of lacking these foods is to a great
extent neutralised by school meals and milk in schools. There is
no doubt in fact that a satisfactory standard of nutrition has been
reached only because families have made great use of these services.
The Director of Education has kindly supplied me with the
following statistics of school meals provided during the year.

Table: Provision of Solid Meals.The success of this scheme, on a sliding scale of payment is shown by the figures below :—

Provision of Solid Meals.

The success of this scheme, on a sliding scale of payment is shown by the figures below :—

Month.Free.On Payment.
January4282429
February4682568*
March4932785*
April5442918
May5663057*
June5373099*
July5272614*
August4301926*
September5593139
October3952341*
November4723173
December4443078*

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*Month during which school holidays occurred.
Board of Education figures show Tottenham among the first
half dozen areas of the Country with the highest proportion of
children receiving a daily hot meal at school.
Parents who wanted their children to take meals on Saturdays
and school holidays were served by the British Restaurant service
which the Education Committee organises jointly with the school
meals scheme.
Provision of Milk.
Children taking milk both free and on payment numbered 80
per cent. of those attending school. The teaching staff voluntarily
helped in the provision of milk during school holidays.