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117
PROVISION OF MILK AND MEALS IN SCHOOLS
During the year 1971 the total number of meals served was 3,274,598
of which 207,319 were free.
Forty-three schools were served by kitchens on the premises and
seven by container meals.
In September amendments were made to the Regulations whereby
free school milk could be issued to school children. In the earlier part of
the year all primary school children were entitled to one third of a pint
daily. However from September milk could only be offered to the following
groups of children:-
(a) Pupils in Special Schools.
(b) Pupils in other maintained schools, up to the end of the Summer
Term next after they attain the age of seven, (Infants' Schools).
This includes pupils whose seventh birthday falls in the summer
holiday immediately prior to transfer to Junior School.
(c) In Junior Schools where a School Medical Officer certifies that
the pupils' health requires that he should be provided with milk
at school.
The Regulations provided that Junior School Pupils could be referred
to the School Medical Officer by teachers, education and other welfare
officers and similar responsible persons. Parents may also suggest that the
children may be in need of milk on health grounds. The change in the
regulations were received too late to be able to be implemented at the
commencement of the term. However within a few days of their receipt
instructions were issued to head teachers, educational welfare officers,
social workers and all those professional staff whom it was thought might
have been able to identify a child who could be deemed in special medical
need of milk. The regulations require that a medical assessment was
required by the school medical officers and only they should issue
appropriate certificates.
Many parents applied for school milk on the grounds that they
thought that it would benefit their child. In such cases it was often difficult
to persuade them that a medical assessment was essential and at this point
many parents withdrew their applications. Even after the medical assessment
many parents still failed to appreciate the difference between issuing
a certificate stating that a child was in special medical need of additional
nourishment and their feeling that their child would benefit from drinking
milk. Many blamed the school doctor and unfortunately many parent/
doctor relationships have been irreparably damaged. This is particularly
unfortunate because this parent/doctor relationship must be excellent if
preventive paediatric medicine is to be effective.
By the end of the year 66 children had been assessed and 29 certificates
issued; 2,406 applications were received during the latter part of 1971
and of these there were 2,327 children still awaiting assessment at the
end of the year.