Free meals for youngest pupils from September
MOST children in Reception year in Wales will begin to receive free school meals from September, the Welsh Government has announced.
It said last Monday that the majority of local authorities should be ready to deliver on the first phase of its policy of a free meal for all primary pupils from the start of the autumn term.
The scheme, which is one of the strands of the Welsh Government’s co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, is due to be fully rolled out by 2024.
The Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru said they are hoping to implement free school meals for all primary-age children “as quickly as possible” in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
In England, children from Reception to Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal, but beyond that point the policy is means-tested.
The Welsh Government said that, so far, £225m has been committed over the next three years to deliver the plan.
It said it hopes that, by April 2023, most children in Years 1 and 2 will start receiving the benefit, with the policy fully rolled out to all primary school pupils by 2024.
It said older children currently in receipt of a free school meal will be unaffected by the implementation of the universal scheme.
Jeremy Miles, minister for education and the Welsh language, said: “No child should ever be at school hungry. Given the pressure so many families are under with the increases in the cost of living, we are absolutely committed to taking practical measures to support our children and young people.
“Our new programme of universal free school meals for primary children is one of the key ways we are looking to help families.
“Younger children are more likely to be living in relative income poverty, so we are starting with a decent free school meal for children in Reception from September, with most children in Year 1 and Year 2 also getting free school meals by next April.
“I want to thank our local authorities and schools for working with us so constructively over the past few months to help make this a reality.”
Sian Gwenllian, of Plaid Cymru, said: “This is the beginning of the rollout of a significant intervention that will make a real difference now and in the future – not only in terms of tackling child hunger and child poverty, but to progress our wider goals of local food production and supporting local economies.”
She added: “This ambitious undertaking will be life-changing for many and a significant help to families across the country – showing how, by working together, we’re delivering for Wales and making a real difference on the ground.”
The Welsh Conservatives have been approached for comment.