Govt's Promise Of Free School Meals Under Scrutiny

The Government's pledge of a free school meal for all pupils aged seven or less is under scrutiny, as councils and schools have been forced to divert money from other budgets despite promises it would be fully funded.

The new research, by the Local Government Association (LGA), shows that government funding to bring school kitchens up to scratch has fallen short in almost half of local authority areas in England.

Free nutritious meals for pupils have been shown to raise attainment and improve children's health. Some 1.55 million infant-age children, aged between four and seven, will be entitled to a free meal when the new school year starts, in less than three weeks' time

The LGA estimates councils without enough money have had to find an average of £488,000 each to ensure all pupils will get the meals they will be entitled to.

Councils were given £150m from central government to fund essential capital work, such as building new kitchens, for schools to provide free meals to all infant-age pupils from September. As well as distributing this money and providing extra funds, councils have been working closely with schools and caterers to offer advice and support in the run-up to the new school year.

Councillor David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, said: "When the youngest pupils go back to school next month, their mums and dads will expect them to receive a free and nutritious meal. Some councils already provided this service, and now that it has become government policy we are determined to ensure every child is provided for.

"There's no doubt that dishing up a nutritious lunch for every young pupil will improve the experience of school and help them concentrate in lessons.

"Councils and schools have been working really hard to make this happen within this ambitious timescale. But it cannot be right that for some councils, money set aside for maintenance has instead had to be spent plugging the shortfall in money which government should have provided for meals."

(CD/JP)