Pupils at a local primary school have given their County Council leader food for thought after she invited them to discuss their school meals.

The children, from Gilwern Primary, welcomed Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby, to the school as part of a county-wide a discussion to fine-tune school meals.

Across Monmouthshire pupils have been engaging with Monmouthshire County Council, along with the Monmouthshire Food Partnership, to provide information on how elements of the school lunch menu could be improved.

As well as schoolchildren, parents and teachers have been discussing the school meal offer and their suggestions are being recorded in formats such as digital surveys, in-person discussions and liaising with organisations including Size of Wales and The Cookalong Clwb.

At Gilwern, Cllr Brocklesby met a pupil-group to discuss a way forward with the school’s menu and listened to how the children felt about the current options. She told them about the way the Welsh Government is working to ensure there is always a healthy, nutritious meal for those in primary education, a part of the national rollout of free school meals for primary school children.

The discussion also covered important issues such as fresh seasonal choices, the approach to healthy, balanced choices and even the impact of food on deforestation.

Cllr Brocklesby said: “It was wonderful to hear the pupils’ opinions on their meals. The need to provide a nutritious meal in all our schools is a vital to the way we support education across the board and to the wider wellbeing of the county’s children.

“They have made a difference to the new school menus, shortly to be rolled out across the county.”

For information on school meals in Monmouthshire, as well as the new menu which is set to launch on Tuesday 4th June, please visit monmouthshire.gov.uk/school-meals/