A pupil referral unit in Bolton is set to benefit from a new scheme by Tesco.

The scheme, named Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools, is part of a £4m investment to provide fruit and vegetables to young people across the country.

The Forwards Centre Pupil Referral Unit in Bolton will receive funding to ensure that every pupil has at least one piece of fruit or vegetable each day, giving their diets a healthy boost.

The scheme has been developed in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation and Groundwork UK.

It aims to support schools with a higher-than-average free school meal ratio.

In total, 400 schools across the UK will benefit from the scheme, receiving around 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables.

This amounts to an average of 110 portions per child over the school year.

Research by the charity FareShare revealed that 28 per cent of teachers across England have brought food in for pupils in the last term, with this figure rising from 26 per cent in the summer term of 2023.

A survey by We Are Futures found that 71 per cent of teachers would prioritise the availability of 'fruit and veg for all pupils' if more funding was available.

The scheme aims to address the fact that only 12 per cent of children aged between 11 and 18 are currently meeting the five-a-day recommendation.

Tesco expects that the overall fruit and veg intake of children participating in the initiative will increase by 23 per cent.

Ken Murphy, Tesco group chief executive, said: "Our aim is to enable schools to provide enough fruit and veg for every child to have at least one piece every day.

"Tesco Fruit and Veg for Schools will make a real difference by providing something that young people look forward to receiving every day, and we hope it will be another little nudge to get them eating healthy food."

Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: "We welcome this significant investment from Tesco to help improve the diets of our young people.

"By targeting funding to pupils in areas in need of a little extra help, this is a meaningful and impactful intervention."

Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said: "With only one-in-five children eating the recommended portions of fruit and veg a day, it’s fantastic to see Tesco’s commitment to helping children access healthier foods."

The Forwards Centre works with primary-aged children who have been excluded or are at risk of being excluded from schools in Bolton.