Free school meals scheme hailed as 'amazing'

Reuben, 10, tucks in at Westfield Primary Community School

A pilot scheme offering free school meals to York primary pupils has been praised as an "amazing" success, as concerns were raised over the long-term financing of the plan.

Pupils at Westfield Primary Community School in Acomb have been getting free lunches for the last six months.

Shona Goudie, from the Food Foundation charity, told the BBC that 80,000 children were living in poverty in Yorkshire.

She called for the York scheme to become permanent, as it was making “such a difference”.

Ms Goudie said: “Having proper meals helps pupils with their learning and academic performance as obviously children who are hungry aren’t going to be able to concentrate in class.

“We know that one in five families in the UK are facing food insecurity and it is an issue that got so much worse during the cost of living crisis.

“So providing free school meals can make such a difference.”

Children in years three to six at the primary school were chosen to trial the project by City of York Council, while Burton Green Primary School in Clifton has been offering free breakfasts since January as part of the scheme.

'Huge take-up'

Amy Lackenby, a year four teacher at Westfield, said there had been an improvement in pupils’ learning over the last six months.

She said: “The take-up has been huge, it’s been absolutely amazing.

“I’ve been talking to my class this morning and everyone has got involved, it has been great.

“The children have been so excited by having a hot meal every day and the fact they’re free is even better, due to the rising price of food in York, as it means that now they’ll be getting the nutrition they require.”

The council has spent £100,000 on the Westfield pilot so far and has guaranteed funding until the end of the current administration’s term in 2027.

It hopes to raise further funds through donations to its Hungry Minds appeal.

City of York Council’s Children and Education Executive Member Cllr Bob Webb said he hoped the new government would help, but that the council needed to take a proactive approach, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said: "We’ve got researchers at the universities of York and Leeds who are currently evaluating this and then it’ll be scrutinised and then there’ll be decisions about what we do with funding.

“This will be what York makes of it, we’ve now got a new government which will hopefully bring more money to this, there was a pledge to introduce free breakfast clubs in the Labour manifesto.

“But the Labour government has inherited some of the worst finances since the Second World War, so we can’t just flip a switch but we hope free school meals will stay as an ambition.

“I can’t just wait for the government to start alleviating poverty in York, we’d love it if they’d supported us but the country’s finances are in a difficult place.

“But we’ve got a lot of generous people in York willing to support us.”

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