Child poverty in Merton - papering over the cracks
Wimbledon Town & Dundonald Lib Dems
Cllr Anthony Fairclough, Cllr Simon McGrath and Cllr Paul Kohler MP: Working hard for Wimbledon, Raynes Park & Wimbledon Chase. Learn more
Railway Footbridge closures
Hartfield Road resurfacing!
Child poverty in Merton - papering over the cracks
Railway Footbridge closures
Hartfield Road resurfacing!
Free school lunches
by Wimbledon Town & Dundonald Lib Dems on 17 September, 2013
Nick Clegg has announced that from next year, all children at infant schools will get free school meals.
This will save families around £437, helping to cut the cost of living.
Mr Clegg said:
“My ambition is that every primary school pupil should be able to sit down to a hot, healthy lunch with their classmates every day . . .
“We will start with infant school pupils because teaching healthy habits young, and boosting attainment early, will bring the biggest benefits.
“Universal free school meals will help give every child the chance in life that they deserve, building a stronger economy and fairer society.”
2 Comments
As a recently retired Primary School teacher, I feel that schools are very well aware of providing nutritional meals and the standard of cooked meals provided by schools has risen a great deal in recent years. Although many children refuse to eat the hot meal provided at school, staff are very aware of this issue and check lunch boxes. I feel that the provision of free school meals for all primary children is a political strategy; not enough children will choose to take them, and the money could be better used in other ways in schools.
Thanks for your message Fiona – pilot projects have shown that free school meals do improve the take-up – and the issue is not the understanding of teachers (where I’m sure you’re quite right) it’s removing the stigma attached to the take up of free school meals. It also has the added advantage of helping to cut costs for parents. This article, for example, is interesting http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/primaryeducation/10318087/Everyone-benefits-from-free-school-meals.html