Campaigners welcome "important step" toward universal free school meals

03.06.07

Responding to reports that the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Fiona Hyslop MSP, will this weekend announce a pilot scheme to provide free school meals to all pupils in Primary 1 to 3, starting in the most deprived areas, John Dickie, Head of the Child Poverty Action Group, said

"This is an important step forward for the campaign to ensure every child, whatever their background, gets at least one healthy meal a day. Current means-testing of free school meals leaves tens of thousands of our poorest children missing out on healthy school meals. Universal free school meals could make a huge impact in tackling family poverty and improving children’s health and ability to learn.

"We already know from experience in Hull, and further afield in Finland, that universal provision has a dramatic effect on the take up of healthy school meals and on pupils concentration and behaviour, so the sooner the new Scottish Government rolls out free school meals to all children the better. It is also vital that Ministers ensure that targeting the initial pilots so narrowly does not undermine the potential value of a universal approach.”

For more details contact:

John Dickie, Head of CPAG in Scotland, 0779 534 0618, Office 0141 552 3656