The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has confirmed that the Coalition Government is making free school meals available for all infant school children and disadvantaged college students from September 2014. The policy which was announced at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, in Glasgow, last September is to be confirmed in the Coalition’s Autumn Statement. As part of the Autumn Statement the Coalition is funding £450m in 2014-15 and £635m in 2015-16 will be made available to the Department for Education to fund this commitment. The Treasury say this is new money being put into the Department for Education’s budget. The government is also going to announce they're also making £150m of capital investment available to ensure that schools can build new kitchens or increase dining capacity where necessary.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg commented by saying: "Early on I made it very clear that universal free school meals would be my personal priority in this Autumn Statement and I’m proud that we are now delivering it. From the start of the next school year, every single infant school pupil will be able to sit to down to a free school lunch. Today, I can announce that we’re providing more than £1 billion to ensure children get a healthy meal in the middle of the day. We’re also making sure that schools are not left out of pocket by putting £150m on the table to fund new kitchen and dining facilities where they are needed."
Continuing Mr Clegg said: "Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and at the same time we are doing all we can to help ease the pressure on household budgets. This not only encourages positive eating habits and helps improve concentration and performance in the classroom, but this will also mean significant savings for families. Providing universal free school meals will help give every child the future they deserve, building a stronger economy and a fairer society."
Shadow Education Minister, Lucy Powell, responding to the announcement of details of Free School Meals, said: "David Cameron and Nick Clegg scrapped Labour's plans to extend free meals for school children on taking office. Now they talk about helping with school meals, but in reality this Tory-led Government will have taken up to £7 billion a year of support away from children by 2015. Families facing a cost-of-living crisis deserve better than this. Labour would extend free childcare provision for three and four year olds with working parents from 15 to 25 hours a week and give parents a guarantee of wrap-around care for all primary school children."
Also commenting on the announcement made by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, on universal free school meals for infant school children, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers' union, said: "The issue of hunger has become a very serious problem in the UK. The link between the Government's social security reforms and the rise of food banks is not one that can be dismissed. A letter in the British Medical Journal raises the concerns that this has all the signs of a public health emergency."
Continuing Ms Blower commented "In the light of this desperate situation universal free school meals for infants is a very welcome step. It must be stressed that while the NUT fully supports this move children over the age of seven also urgently need the same provision and we urge the Government to extend free school meals to all pupils. The devastating effects that hunger and poverty have on society are immense. Children and young people will be yet further disadvantaged if they are too hungry to concentrate in school and will certainly lack the energy to study in the evenings. Money spent on free school meals and ensuring schools have the space and facilities to provide them is money more than well spent".
