27 Mar 2023
Students at Gilmore Primary look forward to the Meals at School pilot
Five Canberra public schools will take part in a Meals at Schools pilot program as early as term 3 this year.
The five schools taking part in the pilot are Gilmore Primary School, Richardson Primary School, Narrabundah Early Childhood School, Gold Creek School (high school campus) and Melba Copland Secondary School (years 10-12).
The pilot will see up to three meals per week available to all students as part of the $1.462 million ACT Government pilot.
A phased rollout will see the pilot at each school start between term three this year and the beginning of the 2024 school year, with meals supplied until the end of 2024.
Each school will work closely with the ACT Education Directorate to design the meal service, including start date, and will soon share these plans with their school communities.
The link between nutrition and positive outcomes in learning and wellbeing is well known and is backed by national and international research.
The five schools were selected based on several factors including student population, location and educational setting to capture a broad representation of ACT public schools.
The Meals at Schools pilot is a collaboration between the Education Directorate and school communities. Teachers, students and parents and carers will be given the opportunity over the next few months to provide feedback about the model of delivery which best suits the needs of each school. There is no intention for the pilot to negatively impact existing school canteens.
The Meals at School pilot supports strong communities for learning, a pillar of the ACT Government’s Future of Education Strategy.