WARM milk at break-time, pink custard and jam roly-poly are the abiding memories of school cuisine for many adults.
But millions of children today are missing out on the milk that helped build a nation's healthy bones and teeth.
But next month primary schools in England and Wales will get the chance to receive free supplies of the drink for a day.
It will come in School Milk Week, which runs from October 11 to 15, as a new campaign is launched to promote subsidised milk in primary schools.
In Kirklees, milk is free to all nursery pupils under the age of five.
Up to the age of seven, youngsters receiving free school meals continue to be given the drink for free while other pupils pay a nominal charge.
Many education authorities, including Kirklees, do not take up a European Union subsidy which offers cut-price milk to youngsters up to the age of 11.
Edmund Proffitt, processing manager at the Dairy Industry Association, which is organising the School Milk Week, said: "A 189ml carton of school milk contains 13 essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and protein.
"These give the ideal playtime boost to energy and concentration levels, while providing six- year-olds with around half of the recommended daily amount of calcium."
