The menus may have been transformed and the canteens given a stylish makeover, but Scottish secondary pupils still aren't eating school dinners.

As chips, burgers and pizzas have disappeared from dining rooms, there has been a corresponding upsurge in the number of teenagers heading to the nearest burger van or takeaway.

While recent figures have suggested this tide may be turning, a new report has spelled out the slow progress being made to improve the eating habits of secondary pupils.

There is much that is positive in the report, Further Food for Thought by HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), which evaluates Hungry for Success, the government's initiative to improve school food which was launched in 2002.

Inspectors found notable improvements in the quality of meals on offer and the way they were presented and promoted, particularly in primary schools.

However, Graham Donaldson, senior chief inspector, warned in the report's foreword that progress had been slower in secondary schools, with a "lack of priority and urgency" highlighted as one explanation.

Critically, inspectors pointed out that the period where the uptake of healthy food wavers coincides with the onset of the teenage years, where the influence of adolescent culture and associated peer pressures become all pervasive.

One radical solution was mooted by Professor Mike Lean, head of human nutrition at Glasgow University, who said tackling the issue at secondary level required a new Scotland-wide policy of keeping pupils inside school gates at lunchtime.

"We need to make the food healthy and attractive and we need to make the canteens an attractive place to be, but the missing piece of the jigsaw is to ensure the pupils are there at lunchtime to benefit from the food," he said.

While the suggestion may be seen as draconian, it is not an unusual concept for pupils at private schools. While state school pupils in Scotland have always been allowed out at lunchtime, many independent schools have restricted the freedom of their charges.

This has traditionally had much to do with safety and security, particularly in cities where the blazer of a private school can act as something of a red rag to those from neighbouring schools. However, another beneficial consequence is that it provides a captive audience for healthy school dinners.

A spokesman for Glasgow Academy said only sixth-formers were allowed out at lunchtime and this had a positive impact on the uptake of school dinners, while a spokesman for Glasgow High School added: "Pupils are not allowed off-campus during the school day and, because there are no dispensing machines and we have an excellent caterer, it makes implementing the policy of healthy eating much easier."

However, although it has been carried out successfully, transferring the practice to state schools may be harder.

Bill McGregor, the general secretary of the Headteachers' Association of Scotland, said that if the teachers, parents and pupils of a secondary could all agree on such a policy it could be successful, but that was "unlikely" in most schools.

There was also scepticism from Eleanor Conor, information officer for the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, who questioned whether schools had the space or staff to deal with the additional numbers such a policy would result in.

"How would schools cope? Most schools' dining halls are not big enough to have all the children in and wouldn't have enough staff to cover," she said.

"This also doesn't send out a good message to pupils. They are being taught to be enterprising, to exercise responsibility and to become contributing citizens and then we tell them they're not allowed to leave the school. That's a mixed message."

Whatever the solution, it is clear something needs to be done. Recent figures have shown that more than one-third of 12-year-olds are classed as overweight, while nearly 20% are obese and 11% severely obese.

Worryingly, as HMIE has pointed out, parallel to the period of successful implementation of Hungry for Success have been increasing levels of childhood obesity and inactivity.

With this in mind, the HMIE report raises the suggestion that Hungry for Success, even if implemented well across all schools, may on its own be insufficient to address Scotland's current problems.

The report suggests that widening the ban on some types of food in schools may have some impact. Some schools have already limited choice by banning sweets and fizzy drinks or by giving advice to parents on what to avoid in packed lunches.

"Such initiatives were controversial with some parents, yet it is likely that further limitations on choice will be necessary if nutrition issues are to be addressed for all children," the report states.

However, the inspectors conclude: "While work in schools can make a significant contribution to improving the diets of young people, eating patterns outwith school also need to change.

"The collective responsibilities of parents, shopkeepers and food outlets, food manufacturers and elected representatives to the promotion of healthy eating are important in achieving change."

Adam Ingram, the Children's Minister, said the government was working to promote healthy eating through a new National Food Policy for Scotland, which will be launched today.

"Schools cannot solve Scotland's poor diet and related health problems on their own. Government, business and the public sector must join forces with the people and communities of Scotland in improving the food we eat," he said.

There's an alternative to chips'

DAMIEN HENDERSON

Unlike most Scottish secondaries, St Mungo's RC High in Falkirk has followed the lead of its English counterparts - preventing pupils leaving the grounds at lunchtime.

The lunchtime lock-in (though teachers refrain from calling it that) applies to children in S1 to S4. Fifth and sixth year pupils are allowed out, but many choose to eat in the canteen - a measure of its success in selling the healthy school menu.

Andrew Mimnagh, St Mungo's headteacher, says the school has tried to offer a lunchtime "experience" that will appeal to children, including videos and pop music.

The policy, which has been in operation for around 20 years, has made it much easier for the school to respond to concerns over children's diets by introducing a healthier menu.

Mr Mimnagh believes that the lack of additives, sugars and fats has contributed to better behaviour: exclusion rates are low, while exam results and attendance are high.

"We have used the healthy food aspect to show that there is an alternative to going out to the chip shop at lunchtime," he said.

"When parents drop their children off at school, they want them to be safe. We work hard to ensure that they are not just safe, but are getting a good, healthy diet."

Before children enter the school, the lunchtime policy is explained to their parents, who must give their approval if a child is to be kept within its gates at lunchtime.

To date, Mr Mimnagh said, no-one has refused permission.

"It's not for me to say whether it will work in any other school but I think what we have done shows that, with parental support, it is possible," he said.

I eat rubbish but I like it'

DAMIEN HENDERSON

A midday downpour - enough to dissuade most people from venturing outdoors - did little to dent the lunchtime exodus of secondary school pupils to Adriano's in Clydebank yesterday.

The chip shop is a 10-minute walk from Clydebank High, and slightly less from St Columba's High, and Stuart Gough, 16, who eats there around three times a week, explained its attraction over the canteen: "At school, there's nae Irn Bru, it's all diet stuff," he said.

Others go every day. Megan Cairney, 16, is one. "I eat complete rubbish but I like it," she said.

Michelle Flanagan, 27, who has worked at Adriano's for five years, said of the lunchtime custom: "Some of them have chips every day. You even see some later on at night and at the weekend."

At present, the pupils tend to choose chips and gravy, chips and cheese or chips and sausage. Pizza Crunch (a pizza deep-fried in batter) is one of the most popular dishes.

Michelle and colleague Lynne Walsh, 30, are planning to sell salad rolls next term - but doubt how popular they will be. "If they've the choice, they'll choose chips. The best thing you could do is keep them in the school," said Michelle.

However, Lorenzo Lafrate, who has managed Adriano's for the past nine years, is less enthusiastic. "It would affect a lot of business round here," he said.