Education Overview & Scrutiny Committee

5.1 The Chair welcomed the Executive Member for Children, Families and Education, together with attending officers. 5.2 Members noted a recent visit to Cwmbran High School, which had informed their consideration of the report. It was agreed to move directly into Member questioning. 5.3 Following questions by the Committee, Officers confirmed the following points: • Secondary school catering provision varied across six schools, with a mix of local authority provision, in‑house school provision, and external contractors. Governing bodies held responsibility for ensuring compliance with legislation where provision was not delivered by the local authority. • Oversight of non‑local authority provision remained limited, with officers identifying this as an area of development. Potential approaches included the use of audit or “dip sampling,” alongside the development of guidance or checklist tools to support governing bodies in fulfilling their responsibilities. • There was no formal policy to return schools to local authority provision; however, officers confirmed that the Council remained open to discussions with any governing body wishing to do so. • Comprehensive arrangements were in place to manage food allergies and special diets. This included an online request process, individual risk assessments, parental engagement, and direct involvement of a specialist dietitian. Approximately 360 pupils were supported through tailored provision, including bespoke menu plans. • In secondary schools, a more flexible system operated, with pupils engaging directly with catering staff to manage dietary needs. This was supported by allergen information systems, tills linked to pupil records, and trained staff, including cooks trained to Level 3 allergen management and wider staff to Level 2. • Officers highlighted a well‑established approach to supporting neurodiverse learners, including those with autism. Adjustments ranged from simple presentation changes (e.g. separating foods) through to highly personalised menus, including repeated or limited food options. In more complex cases, additional products were sourced to ensure pupils could access food and remain engaged in learning. The autism policy would be provided to the Committee. • Variations in free school meal funding levels between authorities reflected local decision-making. Torfaen’s rate was lower than some comparators, and this had been raised by headteachers, particularly in relation to sufficiency for secondary pupils across a full school day. • Any increase in funding would have significant financial implications, estimated at approximately £300,000 per annum, and would require consideration within the wider school funding formula. Officers emphasised that changes to one funding area would require reallocation from elsewhere unless additional funding was secured. • Catering services operated on a not‑for‑profit basis, with all income reinvested into food, staffing, and equipment. Officers described how fluctuating food prices were managed through flexible procurement, menu adaptation, and supplier engagement, with the aim of maintaining quality and portion size wherever possible. • Procurement arrangements were managed through a regional partnership led by Caerphilly, enabling economies of scale and consistent supply. Officers also confirmed a commitment to sourcing local produce where viable, balanced against cost considerations. • Welsh Government proposals to expand free school meal provision in secondary schools were currently at scoping stage only. Work was ongoing to assess implications for both eligibility expansion and universal provision, with findings expected to be finalised in due course. • Data relating to the uptake of free school meals across transition phases was limited, due to differing models of provision and data capture. However, officers confirmed that significant engagement took place with families during transition, including information sessions, sample menus, and direct support from catering teams. • Wider support to families was provided through collaboration with the Revenues and Benefits team, which actively promoted take-up of free school meal entitlements. • Uptake of universal primary free school meals was approximately 80%, which officers advised was strong compared to performance nationally. Barriers to higher uptake included parental uncertainty about food provision and pupil food preferences. Measures to address this included taster sessions, workshops, and engagement activities with pupils and families. • Significant preparations were underway for the introduction of the new Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations. Changes included increased use of whole grains and pulses, removal of fruit juice from breakfast provision, and restrictions on processed food portion sizes. • Officers confirmed that staff training, menu revisions, supplier engagement, and communication plans were in place to support implementation. However, some external dependencies, including compliance verification processes, remained outstanding. • Operational risks included pupil acceptance of menu changes and potential misunderstandings regarding portion size adjustments. Officers emphasised the importance of clear communication to ensure that changes were understood as regulatory requirements rather than cost-saving measures. • Estyn inspections currently focused on healthy eating promotion rather than assessing food quality directly. Officers noted that pupils themselves often played a key role in challenging and influencing food quality and sustainability standards. • Robust monitoring arrangements were in place for local authority provision, including internal audits, environmental health inspections, and external ISO accreditation checks. These ensured compliance with both quality and safety standards. • For external and in-house provision, monitoring arrangements rested with governing bodies, although officers acknowledged the need for greater consistency and support in this area. • All schools maintained high environmental health standards, with current ratings at the highest level, and any required improvements had been minor and procedural in nature. • Officers confirmed that engagement with pupils remained a key strength, including through school councils and youth forums. Feedback from the Youth Forum had influenced practice where possible and highlighted the importance of continued dialogue with young people. • Breakfast provision in primary schools was supported through national funding, whereas provision in secondary schools varied and was determined locally, often supported through individual school budgets or grants. On completion of their scrutiny activity, the Committee concluded by offering the following comments and recommendations for consideration: Recommendation 1 – Members acknowledged that any changes to the funding arrangements for meals provided to learners eligible for Free School Meals (eFSM) would have implications for other school budgets through the operation of the Schools Funding Formula. Members further noted that the Welsh Government (WG) is currently undertaking a national review of the funding formula. In light of this, it was recommended that officers await the outcome of the WG review before undertaking any internal review of the Council’s funding arrangements for meals for eFSM learners. Recommendation 2 – Members welcomed the officers’ commitment to attend school governing body meetings to support understanding of the new Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations, which will come into effect from October 2026. Members recommended that this support be offered to all schools, with particular emphasis on those with in-house or external catering provision, as such schools are responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements set out in the regulations. Recommendation 3 – Members noted the potential operational risk arising from parents and/or pupils misunderstanding the reasons for changes to meal portion sizes introduced as part of the new Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations, due to come into effect from October 2026. Members recommended that clear and targeted communications be directed at parents and pupils to explain the health-related rationale for these changes, in order to mitigate the risk of misperception, for example that the changes are driven by cost-saving considerations. Recommendation 4 - Members raised concerns that not all parents and pupils fully understood their eFSM entitlement, or the actions required when transitioning from primary to secondary school, despite the positive work undertaken by Council services and schools in this area. Members expressed a desire for this good practice to continue and recommended that officers also explore any further improvements that could be made to the sharing of information with parents and pupils, to further increase awareness and uptake of eFSM. Recommendation 5 - Members noted that Estyn inspections currently include an assessment of the arrangements in place to promote healthy eating and drinking in schools, but do not assess the quality of school meals provided. Members recommended that the Executive Member for Children, Families & Education liaise with Estyn to explore the merits and feasibility of incorporating an assessment of the quality of school meals within the Estyn inspection process. Members praised officers and the Executive Member for the positive report and thanked them for the clear and comprehensive way in which they responded to the Committee’s questions during the meeting. Members also noted that the input from young people in relation to school meals was particularly welcome. In addition, members offered the following comments: • Members welcomed officers’ commitment to explore the potential role of internal audit in relation to compliance with the school meal provision regulations in schools that do not use the local authority catering service, while acknowledging that this would ultimately be a decision for individual governing bodies; and • Members were pleased to hear about the approach taken to providing bespoke diets for neurodiverse pupils, and for pupils whose disabilities impact on their eating habits.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed to be 16th July 2026.