The School Meals Service in Wales, c.1906–1944

Abstract

This article explores a relatively neglected theme, namely the development of the school meals service in Wales in the first half of the twentieth century. Drawing on archival research, the article highlights the complexities of implementing policy. It is organized in two sections. The first outlines the main developments between the permissive Education (Provision of Meals) Act of 1906 and the Education Act of 1944, which compelled local authorities to provide a midday meal and set nutritional guidelines for schools. The second section discusses factors that affected the school meals service in Wales: parental responsibility, eligibility, cost, stigma and the quality of food, which collectively hindered progress. The article concludes that despite growing interventionist policies between 1906 and 1944, local authorities in Wales struggled to reach a consensus over how best to implement legislation, and progress remained uneven.