School menus

Following on from the £280m of new funding to improve school meals, thanks to Jamie Oliver, I think I have discovered why children aren't eating more healthily at school. They can't read the menus, apparently 17% of eleven year olds fail reading tests despite a National Literacy Strategy introduced in 1998. Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary recently wondered why social mobility was worse now than in the 1960s. Apart from the demise of selective education, I suggest an inability to read is a significant factor. I doubt many "middle class" parents would tolerate their eleven year old children being unable to read or write. Would the 17% figure be even higher if such parents left all tuition to teachers?