This blogpost was written in collaboration with the St Helens Fruit in Schools Project
St Helens is a borough in Merseyside with nearly half of the school age children population living in the 20% most deprived areas nationally. St Helens Council therefore used the UK government’s Household Support Fund to provide healthy snacks to children in Key Stage 2 in all primary schools across the borough. The Household Support Fund is used to assist households with a low income to support with essentials such as food and utility bills. We used some of the funding to provide fruit to children between ages 7-11, supporting the council priorities around healthy eating and ensuring the people in St Helens do not go hungry. Key Stage 1 children are already in receipt of a healthy snack; therefore, the funding allowed this offer to be extended to all children in primary school.
We set up the daily fruit initiative after a successful pilot in a handful of schools in December 2023. Initially we focused on the winter months, however following positive results and feedback, the project was extended in line with the Household Support Fund extensions. All 54 primary schools took up the offer. Fruit was sourced via local providers and during the 12-month period between 12th December 2023 and 13th December 2024 nearly 1.5million apples, over 1 million bananas, just under 1 million satsumas, and approximately 5,400kg worth of pears were delivered to St Helens schools. The schools were able to decide how and when they distributed the fruit, many choosing to do so during morning break time. A Healthy Steps assembly was also provided to all schools to reinforce the importance of healthy eating and oral health.
During first months of 2024, an evaluation of the daily fruit initiative was carried out via a survey sent to all schools. Nearly all the schools responded to the survey, which may indicate how popular the scheme is. The evaluation considered staff, child, and parent voices. Seven questions were included in the survey and were themed around readiness to learn, attendance and punctuality, intake of healthy foods, eating habits, financial and wellbeing impact, future plans, the Healthy Steps assembly, and sugar intake and oral health.
The survey results and feedback were analysed and evaluated and provided a strong rationale to continue using the funding in this way. The feedback received from the survey indicates that this project has had many positive outcomes and therefore should continue.
For example, there appears to be a widespread need for healthy snacks such as fresh fruit, as survey responses indicated many children in St Helens do not have the opportunity to eat fresh fruit compared to less healthy sugary snacks. The feedback also revealed deeper insights into food inequality and insecurities, as it was found that some children in St Helens do not have breakfast before coming into school.
As well as having a health impact, there were also some educational benefits revealed. Some Schools reported children had improved focus, energy, and engagement in lessons, particularly among those who skipped breakfast or arrived hungry, and or from those in low-income families.
A consistent theme from the feedback was that children enjoy receiving the fruit and many looked forward to social aspect of daily fruit. There appeared to be a boost in morale, with comments such as “we love it,” “can’t wait for playtime,” and “I feel better for having fruit”.
Feedback suggests the initiative had a positive impact on healthy eating behaviours. Several schools reported seeing more fruit being contained in packed lunches, some reported a rise in their salad bar usage, and some established fruit-focused tuck shops. In one school, pupils were able to take ownership of the programme via fruit monitor roles, fostering leadership and responsibility among pupils.
Schools were complementary on the quality of fruit provided, with comments such as “excellent,” “fantastic,” and “good” frequently mentioned. The convenience and freshness of the fruit appears to be one of the elements which contributed to the overall success of the daily fruit in school’s project.
Some schools collected formal feedback from parents or carers, and those that did were able to highlight that parents or carers were “thankful,” and “appreciative,” and noted that it was “one less thing to worry about.” The programme was seen to provide some tangible financial relief, especially during a period when household budgets can be strained, following Christmas.
Whilst some schools noted an increased awareness of sugar intake and oral health among children, other schools felt that it reinforced existing knowledge rather than an introduction of new information.
Budget constraints were cited as the main barrier to schools being able to continue the project themselves, however some schools expressed an interest in exploring alternative solutions, such as healthy tuck shops, utilising local food pantries, or using other external sources for fruit. After this feedback was gathered, the funding to continue the project was extended, more recently to the end of March 2026.
In summary, the St Helens Daily Fruit in schools project has been able to achieve its core aim of supporting families in financial need. The project has had a positive impact on reducing food insecurity, has encouraged healthier eating, and helped to improve some children’s wellbeing, energy, and focus during the school day. Whilst financial constraints do present some challenges for long-term continuity, positive feedback from schools, children, parents and carers do suggest that health eating initiatives are beneficial.
A link to the detailed report which includes an outline of methods, direct quotes received,
and conclusions can be accessed using the following link: https://feedingbritain.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Daily-Fruit-in-Schools-Evaluation.pdf