THROUGH his TV series Jamie Oliver has done his bit to pile on the pressure to improve the standard of school meals.

Thanks to his efforts there is now a national focus on how healthy schools meals should be and the importance of youngsters getting them - and not wasting cash on snacks or fast foods which will do nothing to help them stay healthy.

With this move towards better eating it is disturbing to discover that up to a third of high school children in Blackburn with Darwen are not claiming the free school meals to which they are entitled.

An inquiry is under way to discover why meals are being missed by those who may well need them most because of their home circumstances, especially since Lancashire County Council claims to have one of the best free meal take-up rates in the country.

One expert points out that the receipt of school meals is often used by bullies, especially girls, to torment others.

Council leader Kate Hollern describes the trend as "disturbing" and it certainly is.

But there is really only one way to ensure that youngsters do not go without their entitlement because of fear of bullies or being stigmatised.

And that is to ensure that free school meal pupils cannot be identified by their peers.