A campaign for healthy school meals has passed a key milestone in the West Midlands.

Pendock Primary in Worcester has become the 400th school in the region to sign up to the ‘Million Meals’ campaign, which focuses on healthy school meals, local food sourcing and promoting a healthy attitude to food.

Catherine Goodridge, regional co-ordinator for the campaign, said: “Four hundred schools in the West Midlands are now committed to giving their pupils the best food they can.

“We’ve seen a fantastic response from the region, with really original and creative ideas being used to educate children about healthy food choices and how they’ll affect the rest of their lives.’’

To mark the occasion, Pendock Primary was presented with a cheque for £400 and gave all its pupils a free meal for the day.

Other West Midlands schools signed up to the Million Meals initiative include Small Heath School in Birmingham, which not only has Healthy School Status but has also won an innovation award from the Heart Of Britain PCT.

Horton Lodge Community Special School in Rudyard, Staffordshire, needs to meet a wide range of dietary requirements among its pupils. But, as well as making sure that food is locally sourced, the school has held tasting sessions for new menus which have had a huge impact in widening tastes amongst students. Lunchtime at St Benedict’s in Atherstone, Warwickshire, is a social experience, with children eating in ‘family’ groups and having the opportunity to try different and homemade foods.

Dudley Sutton School and Specialist College is a special school which has adapted a ‘whole school’ approach to healthy eating. Children can use reward points to buy items from the school shop including lunchboxes and coolbags, or trade them in for healthy tuck.