An evaluation of the School Nutrition Projects (SNP) relating to dietary requirements of students in remote Indigenous schools and enablers and barriers to program delivery and student’s nutrition during school holiday periods.

The SNP goals are to contribute to improved school attendance, engagement and learning by providing meals to children enrolled in school and provide for employment opportunities for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The methodology involved in depth interviews and analysis.

The evaluation finds the SNP is perceived as a valuable program for children, families and the wider community that reaches beyond the objectives of the SNP focus on school attendance and local employment. It is reported to be the main source of food and nutrition for many of those attending school, and it provided equal benefit to all children. 

Key benefits of the program for children relate to nutrition and health, school attendance, classroom engagement and academic performance. For the wider community, the SNP provided opportunities for local employment and skills development. Local staff were seen as an asset to the program and were well-regarded by the community.  

A major challenge to the program is ensuring parental contributions. The gap in parental contributions put pressure on providers who were required to still provide meals for all students attending school. A need is identified to better manage these systems to ensure the financial sustainability of the program. 

To address these and other identified challenges there are recommendations relating to program administration, program operations, monitoring and evaluation, community-level considerations and inter-departmental and inter-agency collaboration.