£12.6m is pledged to help continue free scheme

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has revealed plans to extend free school meals through the summer.

She told yesterday’s coronavirus briefing £12.6 million will be made available for councils to continue the scheme from the end of June to August 11 – when schools are due to reopen.

During the pandemic, around 175,000 children have received the support.

The news came as the UK Government pledged to extend its own scheme through the summer too after public pressure led by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford.

The first minister said: “We know families are under considerable financial pressure just now and free school meals are a vital help to many but they’re also really important to the health and wellbeing of children.

“We will provide £12.6m in funding to local authorities to enable the continuation of free school meals during the period from the end of June to the start of the new term in August.”

The first minister said funds will be allocated “in a way that allows councils, as many of them do, to co-ordinate school meal provision with wider support that they make available to families”.

She added £15m will also be made available to councils to keep giving extra support to those in severe poverty or who face other barriers to accessing food.

John Dickie, director of Child Poverty Action Group Scotland, an alliance of a number of child poverty and wellbeing charities, said: “This is fantastic news for the tens of thousands of families across Scotland who have found free school meal replacement such a valuable source of support over the last few months.”