Stroud MP on changes to school meal provision

Last week the Government announced some really positive changes to free school meal provision.

Now, every child from a family who qualifies for Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals. This will mean that an additional 500,000 children will receive free school meals, with nearly 3,000 children benefitting in Stroud. 

I’ve been lobbying the Government since September to increase free school meal provision with the National Education Union’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ campaign. I’m really pleased that the Government has listened – whilst I will still call for universal free school meals, this is an important first step in the right direction.

With more children entitled to free school meals and set to attend the new government funded breakfast clubs, it is now more important than ever to ensure that school food is healthy, locally sourced, and sustainable. In Stroud, we are incredibly lucky to have so many local growers and providers who are particularly interested in making this vision a reality.

Last week, I hosted local headteachers, providers, charities, farmers, and Gloucestershire County Council colleagues for a roundtable discussion to gain feedback on the new breakfast club scheme. It was great to have so many different specialists in the room and to have a productive conversation about how we can ensure that these new breakfast clubs are well-funded, providing healthy food to start the school day.

I will be writing to the Education Secretary to raise the concerns that we discussed. One of these being the funding model. At just 60p per pupil, there seems to be little incentive to buy local, fresh, good quality food. Creating a monetary incentive for schools to look to local providers would not just mean that we get healthy children, but we also get a healthy local economy. 

Creating a circular economy is also a great chance for children to learn about where their food comes from, and the steps taken to get from farm to plate.  With the climate crisis threatening much of global food supply chains, this is a great opportunity to create a community more resilient to the threats that climate change presents.