The warm praise for healthier school dinners is certainly well deserved (The Argus, July 6). Schools across the city are currently taking part in the "healthy schools" program under a pilot scheme being run by school meal provider Scolarest.

Pupils and staff at Westdene Primary, Somerhill Junior and Davigdor Infant Schools are finding that the menus, which offer good-quality, home cooking, with fresh vegetables, fruit, crisp salads - and not a single soggy lettuce leaf in sight - are receiving a terrific response, with increased take-up and far less food being left on plates.

Other schemes across the country, which have looked at reducing highly-processed, fatty foods from school menus and replacing them with healthier daily meals, have produced evidence that children are showing improved performance in academic and sporting activities.

However, this is only a pilot scheme and it may not be possible to implement it in all local schools unless it is possible to find the additional 21p per meal from another budget elsewhere.

I hope, despite ever-present financial pressures, it may be possible to find funding so all children at our schools have the opportunity to have healthier, less fattening meals at school.

For many children, school dinners are still the only hot, cooked meal they get to eat.

-Councillor Ann Norman, Withdean Ward