Free school meals to be offered all year

♦ A council has become the first to offer free school meals all year round.

North Lanarkshire council proposes expanding free meal entitlement to low-income households even when pupils are not at school. It will cost £500,000 a year.

Cllr Frank Mcnally said the Food 365 Programme could help tackle “holiday hunger” and bring noticeable benefits for children. “We have one of the highest concentrations of deprivation and this will address the symptoms of poverty for children who need it most,” he said.

Research shows a third of parents in poverty skip meals during holidays so children can eat. And a survey of teachers reported many children were returning to school malnourished.