Child and family wellbeing must be at heart of free school meal debate, say campaigners

Fringe Meeting to ask Free School Meals: Where next?

Child and family wellbeing must be at heart of the free school meal debate say members of the Scottish Campaign for Free School Meals as they host an SNP Conference fringe debate to be addressed by Children’s Minister Adam Ingram today (Saturday 18th October 2008).

The Campaign warmly welcomed the Scottish Government’s recent announcement that free school meals will be rolled out to all P1 to P3 pupils. Speaking ahead of today’s meeting Marion Davis of One Parent Families Scotland, a leading member of the Campaign, said;

“Universal free school meals will make a vital contribution to boosting children’s health, concentration and readiness to learn. The roll out of this brilliant initiative will prove a real benefit to families across Scotland.”

Despite having explicitly agreed the roll out of free school meals as part of a funding settlement and underpinning Concordat signed last year, some local authorities have now suggested that they do not have the funding to deliver.

But according to John Dickie, Head of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland,

“It is vital that local authorities, as well as Ministers, stick to the commitments they have made. Free school meals were explicitly agreed as part of the funding settlement and underpinning Concordat signed last year. It would be a tragedy if the education, health and well being of our children were to fall foul of a dispute between national and local government. For the sake of children and hard pressed families across Scotland, the promise of free school meals for every child in the early years of primary school must be kept.”

Speaking on behalf of the Campaign, David Gray, added;

"Every child has a right to at least one nutritious meal a day and we have a collective responsibility to ensure they get it. The Scottish Government's commitment to introduce nutritious school meals free of charge in the early years of primary school is a very welcome step in the right direction."

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, another leading member of the Campaign, added;

“As expected, the pilot schemes have shown the benefits that a universal approach to school meals can have. However, the real benefits should be felt in the years to come, benefits not just for the health of children, but improvements in educational outcomes. In the difficult economic conditions that many families now face this extra help is very much needed.”

Ahead of speaking at today’s meeting John Mulvey, Co-ordinator of the Scottish Local Government Forum Against Poverty, said,

“We urge all MSPs to support this long awaited initiative which will have social, health and educational gains for all of Scotland’s children. We welcome the Scottish Government’s positive vision in this area.”

Notes for editors

1. For more details contact

• Marion Davis, One Parent Families Scotland on 07904 654 145
• John Dickie, head of CPAG in Scotland, on 07795 340 618;
• Peter Kelly Director, Poverty Alliance on 07766 606 454

2. The Fringe Meeting Free School Meals: where next? will be held on Saturday 18th October 2008, 5.30-6.30pm in the Boardroom, Royal George Hotel, Perth. It will be addressed by the Children and Early Years Minister Adam Ingram MSP.

3. The Scottish Government funded five local authorities (Fife, Scottish Borders, Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Ayrshire) to provide free school meals to all primary 1 to 3 pupils from October 2007 to June 2008), with a commitment, following evaluation, to rolling out the initiative across Scotland in 2010.

The pilot, which involved 35,000 children in West Dunbartonshire, Borders, Fife ,Glasgow and East Ayrshire, found that uptake of school meals among P1s to P3s rose from 53 per cent to 75 per cent.

4. The evaluation report and a 4 page Research Findings is published on the Scottish Government website at:
Main report http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/29114033
Research findings http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/29113958