On behalf of the Department of Social Protection

RSM Ireland was appointed by the Department of Social Protection to conduct the evaluation of the School Meals Programme. Our Evaluation team engaged with all stakeholders including suppliers, teachers and children benefitting from the School Meals Programme.

The report, published in March 2023, will help inform the future policy direction of this important initiative.

Key conclusions of the evaluation include:

  • everyone agrees that the School Meals Programme is effective
  • there is strong support for extending the School Meals Programme
  • studies show that school meals improve academic results by increasing the amount of time that children spend in school. This evaluation shows similar results.
  • interviews with stakeholders reveal that providing children with food in school is making a difference to families, in terms of money saved, and time saved in food preparation

View or download the full report from the Government of Ireland's website below.

VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HERE 

To find out more about RSM Ireland's evaluation offering, please contact Dr Rachel Iredale.