Free school meals for all London primary schools
A £130m initiative to provide free school meals to all primary school pupils for the 2023-24 academic year has been launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The scheme is expected to benefit over 270,000 children in the capital and save families around £440 per child annually.
The funding, which is one-off, is made possible through extra business rates income and will be run during term-time only. The mayor’s office has clarified that the scheme is implemented because council tax and business rates returns were higher than originally forecast in the draft budget proposal.
Charities and unions have praised the move, but have called for more action. Sadiq Khan will be officially announcing the plans at his former school, Fircroft Primary in Tooting, south-west London.
‘Cost of living crisis means children in need of support’
The Mayor of London said: “The cost of living crisis means families and children across our city are in desperate need of additional support.
“I have repeatedly urged the government to provide free school meals to help already stretched families, but they have simply failed to act.”
He continued: “The difference they can make to children who are at risk of going hungry – and to families who are struggling to make ends meet – is truly game-changing.”
The new initiative follows similar decisions by London councils in Newham, Islington, Southwark and Tower Hamlets to offer their own universal primary school free school meals.
Last month, Westminster City Council also began providing free school meals for primary pupils in a scheme set to run for at least 18 months.
Charities welcome news
The move has been welcomed by charities and teaching unions but many are calling on the central government to provide wider support.
Barbara Crowther from the Children’s Food Campaign said: “We applaud the mayor for announcing this vital nutritional safety net for every single primary school child in London for the coming academic year.
“However, healthy school food for all must not just be an emergency measure. It should be a core part of a fully inclusive education system for the long term.”
Victoria Benson, chief executive of the single parent charity Gingerbread, said many parents had told them their children had gone without food because they were struggling with the cost of living.
“It will be a huge relief to many parents that their child will now be fed at school,” she said.
