Should schools ban packed lunches? We ask school cooks, pupils and their parents

Owen Brown, from Sheffield. Father of Erinn (5) and Temzin (3)
It would concern me if dinners were compulsory. My daughter enjoys the flexibility of having a mixture of dinners and packed lunches. If she doesn't like what's on the menu then she'll take a sandwich instead. My son, who hasn't yet started school, is a much fussier eater. I'd worry that he just wouldn't eat what's on offer.

Mukhtar Karim, from Amersham. Father of Mohammad (12), Mariam (9), Zainab (5)
School dinners are useful but they're not something I feel should be enforced. My son eats dinners where halal meat is available. If there isn't any on the menu then he's pushed on to the vegetarian as a matter of course, which may mean that he doesn't enjoy his lunch.

Leanne Winter, from Devon. Mother of Charlie (11) and Theo (7)
I don't think it's a good idea. My children go to a very small school where meals are made off-site and delivered to school. This means they're very limited in space and what they can achieve. Instead, they have packed lunches – these are incredibly varied and healthy.

Karen Francis, cook at the School Dinner Company, which provides food to schools in North Somerset
It's a great idea but it's just not practical. Many of our local schools don't have kitchens because these were converted into extra classrooms 10 or so years ago. Enforcing school dinners would mean children had healthier diets. Whether or not it is possible will depend on funding.

Corinne Du Preez, cook at Kings Court First School in south-east London
It's a brilliant idea, before working in a state school I worked in an independent school where there was no option to bring in a packed lunch. It worked really well because all children were eating healthy nutritious foods. It's concerning to see the types of food children bring in packed lunches.

Jane Trestain, cook at Padstow School in Cornwall
I don't know whether all parents would want their children to have cooked dinners. It all boils down to cost, otherwise I imagine more would sign up. We've had great feedback about our school dinners and the children are involved in picking the menu.

Rebecca Anstey, aged six. Pupil at Holy Trinity Infant School, Nottinghamshire
I only have school meals on a Wednesday but I like them more [than packed lunches] because they are very delicious. My favourite meal is roast beef. They serve lots of vegetables and I like all of them. I have broccoli and tuna with my pasta. We have a pudding as well, it is usually apple crumble.

Fred Drabble, aged 11. Pupil at Deptford Green School in south-east London
Every day of my life at primary school I had an identical packed lunch of hummus and carrot sandwiches because I hated the school meals. It was nice, but got so, so boring, I almost went crazy. Now I'm at secondary school the meals are delicious I have school dinners, so do all my friends.

Ella Green, aged 16, has just graduated from Kesteven and Sleaford High School, Lincolnshire
At secondary school I had a mix of school dinners and packed lunches and I enjoyed the flexibility. If you wanted to pick something at home you could, or if you knew there was something on the menu that you wanted you could opt for that.

Amy Fleming, aged 18, has just graduated from St Julie's High School
I'm not sure that making dinners compulsory is a good idea. It would depend on the variety that's provided. It could cause problems for younger children who are a bit fussier about what they eat – though, equally it might be a good way to encourage children to have what's on offer and try new foods.

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Packed lunches: pupils face ban in new school food plans

The plan recommends subsidising school lunches for children in the first term of primary and secondary school. Photograph: foodfolio/Alamy

Packed lunches could be banned and pupils barred from leaving school during breaks to buy junk food under a government plan to increase the take-up of school meals, which is to be announced on Friday.

The plan, drawn up by John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby, the founders of the food company Leon, aims to tackle the poor public image of school meals.

The report, which suggests a link between nutrition and academic performance, highlights that parents currently spend almost ￡1bn on packed lunches but only 1% of them meet nutritional standards. In contrast, scientific studies show most school meals are a healthier option.

The report suggests a range of measures for headteachers to increase take-up of school meals. They include banning unhealthy packed lunches full of sugary drinks, crisps and sweets, or even a total ban on all packed lunches.

Children could also be barred from leaving school premises at break time, preventing them from buying unhealthy food, such as takeaways. But schools should also make their meals more exciting and ensure unhealthy snacks are not served during mid-morning breaks.

The plan also recommends subsidising school lunches for children in the first term of primary and secondary school or discounts for parents with several children.

It also suggests introducing cashless payments to reduce long queues and prevent children who receive free school meals from being stigmatised. Teachers are also recommended to eat with pupils in the dining hall.

Cooking should also be part of the curriculum until children are 14, and schools could also offer lessons to parents and their children after school.

The plans include ￡11.8m from the Department for Education to help increase the take-up of meals, and ￡3.15m to provide healthy breakfasts for children who arrive at school hungry.

Two London boroughs will be chosen as pilot schemes to demonstrate how better school food can improve health and educational performance.

The plan comes after Michael Gove, the education secretary, was accused by the Labour-appointed TV chef Jamie Oliver of imperilling children's health and educational prospects by letting the rapidly growing number of academies and free schools opt out of the standards.

Almost a fifth of UK children are obese by the time they leave primary school. The situation is even worse in London, with almost a quarter of children starting primary school and over a third of year six children overweight or obese.

At present, the majority of pupils – 57% – take a packed lunch or buy food outside school. Currently school meals cost ￡140m in school subsidies and their provision in England will only break even if average take-up rises above 50%.

Separately, the Department of Health is due to publish its consultation on plain-packaged cigarettes. The department closed the consultation in August, and campaigners in favour of it were not expecting imminent legislation.

A bill to introduce such packaging, supported by the public health minister Anna Sourby did not feature in the Queen's speech, as ministers said more time was needed to study the impact of the ban introduced in Australia.

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