It seems Jamie Oliver knows best, as new research suggests the celebrity chef’s healthy school dinners have helped to improve exam results and classroom attendance.

An independent study shows the performance of 11-year-old pupils eating Oliver’s meals improved by up to 8% in science and as much as 6% in English, while absenteeism due to ill-health fell by 15%.

The findings, from a report by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Essex University, vindicate the chef’s decision to banish fat-laden Turkey Twizzlers - since replaced with nutrient-rich foods such as coconut fish, and broccoli.

Many schools resisted Oliver’s Feed Me Better campaign due to the greater cost of the food. Some pupils would not stop eating junk food, and parents in one area were even seen passing burger and chips to children through school railings.

The ISER report focuses on schools in Greenwich, southeast London, where Oliver launched his healthy eating campaign with Channel 4 in 2004. This weekend Oliver said: “Even while doing the programme we could see the benefits to children’s health: it made them calmer and therefore able to learn. The results are fantastic - it’s the first time a proper study has been done into the positive effects of the Feed Me Better campaign. It strongly suggests we were right all along.”

The Sunday Times 1/2/09