Free school meals for all primary pupils
Free school meals for all primary pupils is on the menu in Inverclyde after the council became the first in Scotland to introduce the policy in time for the new term.
Every child from P1-7 can now access a healthy, nutritious lunch at no cost to their families from the start of the 2023/24 term which began on Friday 18 August 2023.
Currently, all Inverclyde pupils up to and including primary fives are entitled to free school meals.
Hundreds more in P6 and P7 are now set to benefit from the policy.
The local authority has traditionally been at the forefront of delivering lunches to young people without charge early and the extension to children in primaries six and seven has now been added to the menu ahead of schedule.
For many years, the qualifying criteria for free school meals in Inverclyde has also been more generous than the statutory requirements, meaning more families have benefited than would have normally been the case.
Councillor Jim Clocherty, Inverclyde Council’s education convener, said: “I’m proud that we’re leading the way by introducing fully funded free school meals for all primary pupils.
“This will provide a massive boost to many of our families who are struggling with the cost of living crisis and is part of our commitment to do all we can to tackle child poverty.
“Every child from P1 through to P7 can now 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.”
While local authorities are being encouraged by the government to prepare for a national roll-out of free schools meals in all Scottish primaries, there is currently no date for the introduction or confirmed funding.
The policy is expected to cost Inverclyde Council around £350k, which includes one-off investment in school kitchens and dining areas to cater for the increased uptake at lunchtimes and to cover loss of income that would usually come from school meals charges.
Work on upgrades to kitchens and canteens has begun and will continue throughout the new term.
The local authority has been able to introduce universal free school meals in primaries in part thanks to the area’s modern schools estate through the council’s unprecedented £270 million investment to renew or extensively refurbish every school.