Children eligible for free school meals in Wales will continue to get provision extended throughout the Easter holidays in a £9m package to address holiday hunger. Nearly one in four children are eligible for free school meals in Wales with numbers rising since the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.
Eligible families will get direct payments, vouchers, or lunches provided throughout the holidays. Local councils will decide individually how best to administer the holiday school meal package in their local areas.
The Welsh Government confirmed it is funding the extension of free school meal provision for children for lower-income families through the Easter and Whitsun school holidays as part of its co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. In 2020 Wales became the first UK nation to guarantee free school meals for eligible families during the school holidays.
