Research Study About Universal Free School Meals – We Need Your Help

We are from the University of Bristol and we are inviting you to take part in an interview for our research study about the provision of universal free school meals in two secondary schools in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. We are part of Bristol and Cardiff Public Health Intervention Responsive Studies Team (PHIRST), a programme funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Background

The focus of this study is evaluating the provision of universal free school meals (UFSM) to secondary school-aged students in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF). This study aims to:

• determine the impact of the universal free school meals pilot on students and their families
• determine whether universal free school meal provision is feasible, and a good use of resources to address student hunger.

Interviews

We would like to interview senior staff from schools in LBHF who are not involved in the UFSM pilot.

The interview will cover the following topic areas:

• Whether your school was approached to take part in the UFSM pilot (and if so, reasons for not participating)
• How the national free school meal provision is managed in your school, any perceived impact this has on student hunger and food insecurity, and your perception of the feasibility of UFSM in your school.
• We will also ask for your views on whether UFSM is an appropriate method of addressing food insecurity amongst students, or if other approaches may be better applied in your school.

Taking part

• Participation is voluntary.
• We plan to conduct the interview in June and July 2021.
• The interview will last around 40-minutes and will take place online (at a time that is convenient for you – this can be after school hours).
• The research team will offer a payment of £100 to the school funds for each member of staff who participates in an interview for the study in recompense for the use of staff time.
• No preparation will be required before and we won’t need anything from you afterwards.

Contact details

To find out more about the study, or ask any questions, please contact the lead researcher Vicky Carlisle at Vicky.carlisle@bristol.ac.uk