Schools could offer pupils free meals every day of the year

FREE school meals could be offered 365 days a year to children from low-income families to help tackle ‘holiday hunger’.

North Lanarkshire Council in Scotland proposes expanding its free meal entitlement to cover the 175 days of the year when pupils are not at school, including weekends and holidays.

The meals could be served up in the local authority’s leisure centres or community facilities, with the scheme expected to cost around £500,000 a year.

The council said the ‘Food 365’ programme, which will be discussed by its education committee on Tuesday, would target ‘holiday hunger’ and bring noticeable benefits for young people. Councillor Frank McNally, convener of education, said: ‘These proposals to tackle weekend and holiday hunger are the most ambitious in the country.

‘Research has suggested that pressure on food banks doubles during the holidays.

‘North Lanarkshire has one of the highest concentrations of deprivation in the country and this is only going to be exacerbated by further welfare reforms. Our plans will do much to promote healthy eating and address some of the symptoms of poverty for children who need it most.’

A survey by the National Union of Teachers in England found 80 per cent of teachers noted a rise in ‘holiday hunger’.