A study has found that many teenagers perceive school food to be unhealthy and leave school at lunchtimes to escape long queues and inadequate seating and social areas.
The research has been conducted by academics at the University of Hertfordshire and involved more than 600 young people aged 13 to 15 from seven schools with various levels of deprivation. Headteachers, kitchen supervisors and other staff were also interviewed.
The study examined the reasons for poor take-up of school meals and the lure of food outlets within walking distance of secondary schools.
It found that socio-economic boundaries affect where school children choose to buy their lunch from, with poorer children preferring to frequent fast food outlets and supermarkets rather than eating on-site at school.
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