Council ‘leading the way’ with free school meals for all primary youngsters

A council is to provide all primary school pupils with free school lunches in what has been hailed as a “significant moment” for families and youngsters.

Inverclyde Council said it would be one of the first local authorities in Scotland to introduce this when the policy begins in August 2023.

With free school lunches already given to pupils in P1 to P5, the council will spend an additional £170,000 a year providing meals to youngsters in P6 and P7.

Inverclyde will also invest a one-off sum of £350,000 in kitchens and dining areas in schools, to ensure they can cope with an increased take-up of lunches.

Work on this is already under way, the council confirmed.

It comes despite the Scottish Government having failed to set a precise date for when it will roll out free meals to all primary school children nationally.

The SNP had previously pledged all primary pupils would receive free lunches in 2022, but Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said recently the timescale for doing this was now 2024.

Councillor Jim Clocherty, education convener at Inverclyde Council, said the authority there was “leading the way” by providing universal free school meals for the primary sector.

He stated: “This is a significant moment for our families and young people with the council leading the way in introducing universal free school meals for all primary pupils.

“From August this year, every child from P1 through to P7 can access a healthy, nutritious lunch in the comfort of one of our new or refurbished schools without cost to their families.

“We have one of the best education estates in Scotland, if not the UK, and now we’re ensuring the young people who attend them are fuelled in the canteen to help reach their full potential in the classroom.”

The council will use cash from its existing education budget to fund its free school meals policy.