The Feeding of School Children

This study offers a detailed look at the early days of Britain’s school‑meal movement, tracing how voluntary groups first stepped in to address child hunger before the state took responsibility. Drawing on reports from local education authorities, medical officers and the very teachers who ran the feeding centres, the author paints a vivid picture of the social and political forces that shaped the 1906 Education (Provision of Meals) Act. The narrative explains how committees were formed, how children were selected, and the practical challenges of preparing nutritious meals for youngsters in both urban and rural schools.

The work also examines the day‑to‑day administration of the programme, from budgeting and cost‑recovery for paying pupils to the overlap with poor‑law provisions. By situating these policies within broader debates on poverty, health and labour, the book reveals how early 20th‑century reforms aimed to lift whole families out of deprivation, one school kitchen at a time.