More than 10million free school meals have already been funded for state primary school children in the capital, thanks to unprecedented support from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Free school meals have been provided to up to 287,000 children each day across London since the start of the school year in September, after the Mayor provided £135m emergency funding.
Sadiq – who received means-tested free school meals as a child – is funding an estimated 1.4m meals each week, after stepping in to help support families as they struggle with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Families in every borough in the capital are saving upwards of £440 per child across the school year thanks to the Mayor’s historic funding.
It’s the first time ever that free school meals are available to all pupils in every year of state-funded primary schools, special schools and pupil referral units in the capital. Children in years 3 to 6 in primary school had previously only received free school meals if they lived in households on universal credit earning less than £7,400 a year – after tax and not including benefits, and regardless of the number of children in the family.
Today, the Lynk Up Crew - a group of young advisers to the Mayor aged seven to 14 – will hand deliver a letter to Downing Street calling on the Prime Minister to provide permanent universal free school meals for primary school children across England.
The group of 50 young advisers are calling on Government to ensure every child receives a healthy meal at school every day – helping their health and wellbeing.
It comes as latest City Hall polling from YouGov reveals that nearly a third of parents or carers of children under 18 (31 per cent) are currently buying less food and essentials to help them manage living costs. In a separate question, 42 per cent think they will struggle to afford their regular household shop for food and essential items over the next six months.
Sadiq’s free school meals funding is the latest programme from the Mayor to support Londoners with the cost-of-living crisis. That includes investing £3.46bn into building the genuinely affordable homes Londoners need and £400m on skills and employment programmes to support Londoners to find more secure work, as well as more than £80m to help those struggling with the rising cost of living to tackle fuel poverty, supporting private renters, connecting Londoners to welfare advice and tackling food insecurity. The Mayor has also provided an emergency funding package of more than £3.5m to help provide around 10m free meals during school holidays and at weekends to low-income Londoners struggling with the spiralling cost of living over the next year.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m proud to have already funded more than 10m free school meals since September to help hundreds of thousands of children and their parents across London. I know from personal experience what a lifeline these meals can be and how important it is that we are able to fund around 1.4m meals every week to help families as they cope with the cost-of-living crisis. I’m committed to doing all I can to support children as we build a better London for all, and will continue to urge Ministers to step forward with the necessary funding to ensure that all primary school children receive these vital meals on a longer-term basis.”
Sukhmani, Mayor of London’s Lynk Up Crew, said: “Some children rely on free school meals if there is no food at home or during school holidays. We shouldn’t be asking for free school meals, it is a right. It is essential and beneficial.”
Olivier, Mayor of London’s Lynk Up Crew said: “Universal free school meals improves literacy rate, general academics, better jobs, better economy.”
Anna Garrod, Director of Policy, Impact on Urban Health, said: “We know that healthy, free school meals benefit children’s health and education, so it’s great to see this important milestone being reached in London. Now it is time for national government to build on this step forward and put children’s health first. All children deserve an equal chance to thrive and learn, regardless of where they live, and cost of living pressures make it more important than ever to support children and families with free school meals.”
Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager, The Food Foundation, said: “It has been fantastic to see the Mayor for London’s commitment to provide free school meals to all primary school children in London become a reality this term, particularly given the potential this scheme has to improve children’s health, wellbeing, attendance and attainment. Many other mayors and local authorities across England also recognise the positive impact that free school meals can have and would also love for free school meals to be provided to more children in their area. Where a child lives should not determine whether they are subjected to hunger and malnutrition and so we fully support these calls on Government to expand free school meals fairly to more children across the country, eliminating this postcode lottery and ensuring all children can have a nutritious lunch at school.”
Rachel Ledwith MBE, Head of Community Engagement, the Felix Project, said: “We know from our own research that families with children in London have less than £3 per day to buy food and these are families who are working. Universal free school meals are a lifeline for them and could be for every family across the UK. London is not unique in the struggles being faced by so many. Children shouldn’t be subject to a postcode lottery. Every child deserves the chance to be the best they can be, universal free school meals gives them that chance, no one can learn on an empty stomach.” Photo by DAVID HOLT from London, England, Wikimedia commons.