CANTEEN study
In the CANTEEN study a team of researchers have been working together to find out more about school meals and free school meals (FSM) in secondary schools.
If you have any questions, the best way to contact the research team is via the CANTEEN study email address:
canteenstudy@contacts.bham.ac.uk
WHAT IS THE CANTEEN STUDY?
We all want children to eat well – it’s essential to their concentration, ability to learn and well-being. Not having enough money to buy food is known as food insecurity and is common in UK children. Although all schools offer FSM based on household income, about 1 in 5 pupils do not take up their meal. A team of researchers from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Birmingham are carrying out the CANTEEN study to find out more about school meals and FSM in secondary schools in Northern Ireland and England respectively.
The aim is to:
- Look at the impact of school meals and FSM in secondary schools.
- Maximise the positive impact on nutrition, health, and wellbeing of secondary school-aged children, particularly for those most at risk of poor nutrition, obesity, and food insecurity.
WHAT ARE THE AIMS OF THE CANTEEN STUDY?
We aim to look at how differences in FSM uptake in schools relates to the food children eat, the quality of this food, and their food insecurity. We will also investigate how expensive different levels of FSM uptake would be. We will then examine whether schools with higher FSM uptake have different ways of offering FSM compared to lower FSM uptake schools, and whether this understanding can be used to support schools to change FSM provision. Finally we will explore whether changing who qualifies for FSM would impact on the food eaten and food insecurity.
WHEN IS THE CANTEEN STUDY TAKING PLACE?
The research is split into 2 parts. The field work for the first part (an observational study) took place between September 2023 and March 2025. The field work for the second part (a case study) took place between October 2024 and March 2025, by invitation. Data analyses for the observational study and for the case study are currently underway.
WHO CAN TAKE PART IN THE CANTEEN STUDY?
Researchers identified the schools which can take part (based on how many of their pupils are entitled to FSM - 20% or more) and invited them to do so via a letter to the head teacher. We planned for a total of 32 schools to take part - 16 schools in Northern Ireland and 16 schools in England. All schools who took part in the observational study were given £500 for their involvement and schools received more money for every parent questionnaire completed (£5 per questionnaire). A further £500 was given to case study schools and schools received more money for every parent interview completed (£5 per interview).
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CANTEEN STUDY?
You can find out more about the CANTEEN study in our study protocol and in our various study information sheets. Click on the 'CANTEEN study documents' tab to read some more.
WHO IS FUNDING THE CANTEEN STUDY?
The CANTEEN study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research. Research award NIHR151295 https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR151295
