School kids munch on hot lunch: 15 more Tasmanian schools get funding for hot lunch program

Northern Tasmanian schools include Mole Creek, Waverley, Swansea, Bridport and Winneleah Primary Schools, and Campbell Town District High School.

In the North West, Montello and Havenview Primary Schools have also been added to the pilot.

The two year program is being evaluated by the Menzies Institute of Medical Research, which will look at school attendance data and NAPLAN results to look for educational improvements while hot lunches are being served to kids.

An initial pilot program began serving up hot lunches in 2020 across three primary schools, with 90 per cent of parents wanting the free dishes served up every day.

Education Minister Roger Jaensch said the government had loved the results of this smaller pilot, and expanded their funding so that more schools could get involved.

He said further research would be undertaken by Menzies as part of the latest two year pilot, to measure classroom impacts on student behaviour and performance.

"Teachers are finding not only are their students more receptive to learning when they have had a hot lunch at school, but the classroom is more settled," Mr Jaensch said.

"It is all about helping make sure that everybody gets the maximum benefit from the time they have in school, every hour and every day matters, and having a full belly is part of making that happen."

He said the government was looking forward to the Menzies evaluation, which could inform the long term future of the program.

"To ensure any benefits of these programs can be available to more students right across Tasmania."

The new schools joins join Beaconsfield and East Devonport Primary Schools, Mountain Heights School, Yolla and Rosebery District Schools and Smithton High School, who started the program last year, with a total of 30 schools now involved statewide.

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