Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
John Stevens

Free school meals offered to all pupils aged 3 to 14 in London borough

Free school meals will be offered to all school pupils aged three to 14 in a London borough.

Westminster City Council will extend its provision to thousands of children in nursery and secondary schools in an unprecedented move.

Currently in England, all children in reception, years one and two get free school meals.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to offer this to all primary school pupils in the capital for one year from September.

Westminster City Council will go even further by giving dinners to three and four year olds in nursery schools, as well as those in the first three years of secondary school.

Westminster City Council leader Adam Hug visits a school in the borough where more children will get free school meals (Westminster City Council)

The expansion will come into force in September and run for at least a year to help parents with rising cost of living.

The Mirror and the National Education Union are calling for free school meals for all pupils in England's primary schools, in line with commitments in Scotland and Wales.

Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “We want to take some pressure away from families at a time when we know they are already struggling.

“Some parents go without to fill a lunchbox with whatever is left in the cupboard - however meagre - to ensure their child has something to eat at school. It cannot be right that children in one of the richest cities on earth are being left to make do with scraps.

“We need to see equality built into the system for future generations.

He added: “I am proud we can now offer 14,000 Westminster children the chance of a nutritious lunch. I want Westminster to be a place where children can sit down together in the canteen without the anxiety and stigma of who can afford to eat.

“That lunch may now be free for those children, but we think the impact it can have on their wellbeing and life chances could be priceless.”

Labour took control of Westminster City Council in local elections last May for the first time in history.

A new "Say Yes to School Food for All" campaign launched yesterday is calling for an end to means testing.

Barbara Crowther from the Children's Food Campaign said: “We don’t means test children for pencils or desks, so why for food?

"We don’t means test adults or children when it comes to hospital and prison meals, so it’s perverse that we still insist on this for our children. Many other countries around the world have already realised this and now seeing huge benefits of healthy meals for all.

“A good, healthy education is the foundation of our nation’s future prosperity. Providing free school meals for all has been shown to improve educational learning, reduce levels of obesity and lead to long-term improved earnings and economic contribution."

* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.