School dinners | LocalGov

MPs to debate free school meals extension

10/01/2024

MPs are set to debate the extension of the free school meals scheme today as tens of thousands of eligible disabled children miss out on extra support.

Over 900 children in Stockport receive free school meals

20/09/2023

Over 900 children in Stockport are being provided with free school meals thanks to a council-run scheme.

LGA: Extend food support to stop harm to children’s health

29/06/2023

Council chiefs have called for an extension of eligibility for free school meals and an increase in the value of the healthy start voucher scheme.

Khan urged to provide more information on free school meals

20/04/2023

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been urged to provide more information about how he will implement his free school meals initiative.

Welsh council chiefs welcome free school meal extension

10/03/2023

Councils in Wales have welcomed the Welsh government’s announcement that free school meals will continue for children from lower income families over holidays.

Westminster City Council offers free school meals to 14,000 more children

09/03/2023

Children aged three to 14 in Westminster will be given free school meals in what the council is claiming as the most ambitious scheme of its kind in London.

Khan announces £130m free school meal funding

20/02/2023

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today announced £130m would be made available to ensure all primary schoolchildren in the capital can receive free school meals.

Over 200,000 children missing out on free school meals

17/02/2023

Local authority leaders have called for the introduction of an automated sign-up system in order to expand access to free school meals to 215,000 children.

Westminster council unveils cost-of-living crisis budget

07/02/2023

Westminster City Council has unveiled a budget aimed at helping residents hit by the cost-of-living crisis.

Doctors back free school meal campaign

03/11/2022

Health care professionals have urged the Government to offer free school meals to thousands more children to fight malnutrition.

Four million children face ‘food insecurity’

18/10/2022

An estimated four million children are currently living in homes that do not have adequate access to food, a food charity has revealed.

Nearly two million children face food shortages

10/10/2022

The rising cost of food has left nearly two million school children facing food shortages, a new survey has revealed.

School leaders call for free school meals during holidays

16/09/2022

The bank holiday this Monday has underlined the importance of providing pupils with free school meals during holidays, school and college leaders have said.

Mayor Khan calls for universal free school meals

21/06/2022

Mayor Khan has urged the Government to extend provision of healthy free school meals to all primary school children to help with the 'perilous economic times'.

Universal free school meals in Wales to start from September

20/06/2022

Every primary school pupil in Wales will receive a free school meal by 2024, the Welsh Government has confirmed.

Scottish council to deliver school meals by drone

17/06/2022

Pupils in remote parts of Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland could soon have their school meals delivered by drone.

Nearly two million pupils eligible for free school meals

10/06/2022

The number of children eligible for free school meals in England has risen again in the past year, new figures have shown.

Teaching unions call for expansion of free school meal eligibility

01/06/2022

Teaching unions have called on the Government to extend free school meals to all families on Universal Credit (UC).

Welsh government announces £25m to roll out free school meals

31/03/2022

The Welsh government is investing £25m in school kitchen and dining infrastructure to roll out free school meals to all primary school children in Wales.

Birmingham CC stops school holiday meal vouchers

30/03/2022

Birmingham City Council has confirmed that school holiday meal vouchers will no longer be provided by the local authority.

Free school meals scheme could feed one million more children

25/03/2022

One million more school children could be fed if the sign-up process to the free school meals was simplified, local authority leaders have said.

Councils get funding to deliver milk and healthy snack scheme

02/08/2021

Scottish local authorities will receive up to £12m funding to ensure all eligible pre-schoolers get milk and a healthy snack.

Free breakfast club for low-income families extended for two years

12/07/2021

Thousands more children in disadvantaged areas in England will benefit from free breakfasts at school, the Government has announced.

Free school meals for an extra 90,000 primary pupils in Scotland

07/06/2021

Local authorities in Scotland will be given nearly £50m in new funding to provide free school meals for 90,000 primary pupils.

Labour calls for free school meals over holidays

26/05/2021

Over half a million children became eligible for free school meals during the first year of the pandemic, analysis by Labour has estimated.

Household food insecurity at 'crisis' levels warns report

02/03/2021

The Government must make food insecurity a priority and move away from short-term emergency measures, a new report has urged today.

Government urged to fund free school meals during holidays

15/02/2021

Labour has warned 1.4 million children face a postcode lottery in food support this half-term.

Return of free school meals voucher scheme

19/01/2021

The Government has relaunched the free school meal vouchers following the scandal surrounding 'disgusting' food parcels.

Councils told to provide free school meals during half term

15/01/2021

Councils have been tasked with providing free meals to school children during half term week next month, prompting an outcry from the sector.

Councils urge action over 'disgusting' free school meals pictures

13/01/2021

The Government has promised to investigate after pictures appeared on social media of ‘disgusting’ free school meal parcels.

Councils welcome £170m COVID winter grant scheme

09/11/2020

A new £170m COVID winter grant scheme will be distributed to councils to stop children going hungry during the second wave of the pandemic.

Councils urged to appoint 'Food Champion'

05/11/2020

Councils have been urged to appoint a Food Champion and work with a Food Partnership in a bid to tackle food poverty.

Charities tell PM to protect children from ‘winter of hunger’

04/11/2020

The UK’s leading children’s charities have joined forces to urge the Government to do more to protect children this winter.

Marcus Rashford honoured by Manchester City Council

29/10/2020

The City of Manchester Award has been given to Marcus Rashford in recognition of his work to extend free school meals during school holidays.

Charity warns parents are struggling to cover school food costs

23/10/2020

Nearly one million children are living in households that are struggling to afford to feed their children during a school day, according to a new survey.

Nearly one million children set to lose free school meals over holidays

21/10/2020

Nearly one million children living in areas that are subject to Tier 2 and 3 coronavirus restrictions are set to lose access to free school meals over the holidays, a new analysis has revealed.

Labour calls for free school meals to be provided during holidays

19/10/2020

Labour has thrown its weight behind a petition urging the Government to extend the provision of free school meals during holidays by threatening to force a vote in the Commons.

Nearly one million children sign up for free school meals

12/10/2020

Around 900,000 children have newly registered for free school meals this Autumn, according to the Food Foundation.

Calls to extend free school meals to children from migrant families

17/08/2020

Pupils from low-income migrant families should receive free school meals to prevent thousands of children from going hungry, 60 organisations have said.

National Food Strategy calls for more free school meals

29/07/2020

Free school dinners should be extended to every child where their parent or guardian is receiving Universal Credit, a report has recommended today.

PM forced into U-turn on free school meals

16/06/2020

Council chiefs have welcomed the decision to provide a £120m voucher scheme to allow children from the poorest families get free school meals over the summer.

Food voucher scheme to be extended over the Easter holidays

07/04/2020

Councils have welcomed plans to extend the free food voucher scheme to cover the Easter school holidays.

Pupils eligible for free school meals will receive food vouchers

31/03/2020

The families of children entitled to free school meals will receive a weekly food shopping voucher of £15 while schools are closed due to coronavirus.

Cash boost for breakfast clubs

06/01/2020

The Government has announced an investment of nearly £12m to deliver free meals and summer holiday activities for children in disadvantaged areas.

Charity calls for help feeding children during the holidays

16/07/2019

The Trussell Trust is urging people to donate food to their local food bank to help support families with children during the summer holidays.

Whitehall launches £9m holiday programme for disadvantaged children

21/12/2018

The Government today launched a £9m programme to provide disadvantaged children with free meals and activities during the school holidays.

Council to stop supplying non-stunned halal meat in schools

13/07/2018

Lancashire County Council has announced it will no longer supply non-stunned halal meat to schools against the wishes of its residents.

Over 100,000 children to lose free school meals under reforms

05/04/2018

One in eight children who would have qualified for free school meals under the old system will become ineligible under universal credit.

Underfunded breakfast clubs to received £26m ‘boost’

19/03/2018

The Government has announced schools in some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas will receive £26m in order to boost breakfast clubs after warnings of underfunding.

North Lanarkshire to offer free school meals during holidays

19/02/2018

A Scottish council is planning to pilot a new programme that will provide children in low income households with free meals every day of the year.

Free school meals: What do the changes mean for families?

18/01/2018

Which children should be receiving a free hot meal at school and who should pay for it? Mark Whitehead reports.

Reforms to free school meals would leave children hungry, warn union

15/01/2018

A leading union has dismissed government proposed reforms to free school meal entitlement as 'a cut disguised as a kindness.'

Million children to lose free school meals under Universal Credit

19/12/2017

One million children living in poverty in England will miss out on free school meals under Universal Credit (UC) proposals, a children’s charity has warned.

An extra 50,000 children could get free school dinners under Universal Credit reforms

17/11/2017

About 50,000 more children will be eligible for free school meals under new proposals for the Universal Credit system, according to the Government.

Health experts unveil best menus to tackle childhood obesity

13/11/2017

Thai chicken curry, moussaka and pork ragu are on the menus for children recommended by health experts in a drive to cut obesity.

Lancashire CC bans unstunned halal meat

27/10/2017

Lancashire CC yesterday decided to stop providing schools with unstunned halal meat due to concerns over ‘unnecessary stress and suffering’ for the animals.

Over 100 pesticides detected on fruit and veg in schools, campaigners claim

05/09/2017

Campaigners have found over 100 different pesticides on the fruit and vegetables supplied to schools by the department of health.

Tory school breakfast pledge to cost three times estimated £60m

25/05/2017

The Conservative Party’s promise to provide free breakfasts to all primary school pupils will cost three times as much as the £60m they originally suggested.

Labour's free school meals would cost £950m a year finds research

10/05/2017

Labour’s pledge to provide free school meals for all primary pupils would cost £950m a year, new analysis has revealed.

MPs call for sugary drinks levy to be used to tackle school holiday hunger

25/04/2017

Three million children risk going hungry during the school holidays, putting them in danger of malnutrition and undermining their education prospects.

Wales to invest £0.5m into holiday meals for deprived pupils

03/01/2017

The Welsh government is investing £500,000 into providing school meals and activities for pupils from deprived communities during the summer holidays.

MPs urged to support take up of free school dinners

28/11/2016

Councils should be free to share benefit data with schools to enable children to be automatically signed up for free meals, school leaders have said.

MPs warn more children are going to school hungry

18/04/2016

An increasing number of children are going to school hungry and underweight, according to the results of a major new study.

Council criticised for ‘shocking fall’ in exam results

13/04/2016

A council has been criticised for a ‘shocking fall’ in the GCSE results of pupils on free school meals.

Nearly 2,500 academies not signed up to healthy school meal standards

22/03/2016

A loophole that enables nearly 2,500 academies and free schools avoid signing up to healthy school meal standards must be closed in a forthcoming child obesity strategy, town hall leaders say.

Two-tier school meals standards must end, says LGA

07/01/2015

Council leaders have called for loopholes to be closed that mean 4,000 schools do not have to adhere to new standards on healthy meals.

Free school meals now eaten by 85% of infant school pupils

18/12/2014

More than 1.6 million children have taken up free school meals in England’s infant schools since they were introduced in September.

Scottish councils given extra £241m in funding settlement

12/12/2014

Scottish councils have been handed an additional £241m this year to support young children and lessen the impact of the 'bedroom tax'.

Council investigates claim pupils received single chicken nugget for lunch

22/09/2014

A council is launching an investigation into claims local reception children received only one chicken nugget for their school lunch.

Clegg grilled on radio over free school meals by ‘nine-year-old’

05/09/2014

Nick Clegg has been taken to task live on radio over his free school meals policy by a listener claiming to be a nine-year-old child.

Clegg launches free meals for infant schools

02/09/2014

The Government has today launched free school meals for all children in their first three years of school.

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