Stepney School in Tower Hamlets has offered all students free school meals since September.
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Tower Hamlets has been recognised by the government for its programme offering universal free school meals for all pupils until the age of 16.
The council has made the shortlist for the APPG Excellence in Food Awards and the winner will be announced at the end of January.
The scheme began in September 2023 but as of January all pupils who live and go to school in Tower Hamlets are now receiving free lunches every day.
Swanlea School in Whitechapel has noted a 45% increase in the uptake of meals leading to much better concentration and behaviour.
The school also spoke about the extra funding and support the council has provided to ensure that their existing facilities could feed more mouths, such as buying more equipment and helping to recruit another member of staff.
Parents are saving hundreds a year on lunches
Tower Hamlets is home to the highest deprivation rate in the capital, with over half of children living in poverty, according to Loughborough University.
This announcement coincides with London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s commitment to extend his own free school meal policy in the capital by a year.
For the second year running, parents will be saving £440 per child per school year on lunches.
Mari Burton, a spokesperson for the National Education Union (NEU), welcomes the scheme wholeheartedly.
Mari shares that the NEU has a free school meals for all campaign aimed at those in primary school because “you have to start somewhere and younger families are often the hardest hit by poverty”.
To qualify for government-funded free school meals children must come from a household earning less than £7,400 a year, excluding benefits.
However, The Food Foundation found that nearly a quarter of UK households with children report experiencing food insecurity, which has increased significantly due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Many of these children fall outside of the threshold to qualify for free school meals.
“It reduces stigma and provides great relief”
Education charity Impetus agrees that no child should be too hungry to learn, and everything possible must be done to tackle this.
However, they are concerned that the universality would mean children who don’t need the initiative may take funding from those who do.
They suggest funding free school breakfast clubs for the most disadvantaged kids instead.
Impetus highlights that the pupil premium affording schools extra funding is linked to a child being registered as eligible for free school meals.
The charity worries that without the incentive of these lunches, parents won’t register and the funding will be lost.
In response, Mari shared the benefits of universalism, saying it both reduces stigma and provides great relief to those who don’t quite qualify for free school meals, but are seriously struggling with the cost of food.
She adds that universalism facilitates community-building through eating together.
On the topic of the pupil premium, she responded that the NEU has been advocating for an automatic enrolment system, something which Impetus agrees with.
This would mean that all children who are eligible for the extra funding receive it.
Many struggle to apply due to issues such as stigma or language barriers.
Automatic enrolment, already being trialled in Islington, would mean schools get all the extra money available to them.
Tower Hamlets was the first council in the UK to announce universal free school meals for all school children.
In London, four other councils have followed their lead.
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HeadlineTower Hamlet’s free school meals for all has been shortlisted for an award
Short HeadlineTower Hamlets recognised for Universal Free School Meals pilot scheme
StandfirstThe pilot scheme offering free school meals for all schoolkids in Tower Hamlets has been shortlisted for the APPG Food Excellence award.
Tower Hamlets has been recognised by the government for its programme offering universal free school meals for all pupils until the age of 16.
The council has made the shortlist for the APPG Excellence in Food Awards and the winner will be announced at the end of January.
The scheme began in September 2023 but as of January all pupils who live and go to school in Tower Hamlets are now receiving free lunches every day.
Swanlea School in Whitechapel has noted a 45% increase in the uptake of meals leading to much better concentration and behaviour.
The school also spoke about the extra funding and support the council has provided to ensure that their existing facilities could feed more mouths, such as buying more equipment and helping to recruit another member of staff.
Parents are saving hundreds a year on lunches
Tower Hamlets is home to the highest deprivation rate in the capital, with over half of children living in poverty, according to Loughborough University.
This announcement coincides with London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s commitment to extend his own free school meal policy in the capital by a year.
For the second year running, parents will be saving £440 per child per school year on lunches.
Mari Burton, a spokesperson for the National Education Union (NEU), welcomes the scheme wholeheartedly.
Mari shares that the NEU has a free school meals for all campaign aimed at those in primary school because “you have to start somewhere and younger families are often the hardest hit by poverty”.
To qualify for government-funded free school meals children must come from a household earning less than £7,400 a year, excluding benefits.
However, The Food Foundation found that nearly a quarter of UK households with children report experiencing food insecurity, which has increased significantly due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Many of these children fall outside of the threshold to qualify for free school meals.
“It reduces stigma and provides great relief”
Education charity Impetus agrees that no child should be too hungry to learn, and everything possible must be done to tackle this.
However, they are concerned that the universality would mean children who don’t need the initiative may take funding from those who do.
They suggest funding free school breakfast clubs for the most disadvantaged kids instead.
Impetus highlights that the pupil premium affording schools extra funding is linked to a child being registered as eligible for free school meals.
The charity worries that without the incentive of these lunches, parents won’t register and the funding will be lost.
In response, Mari shared the benefits of universalism, saying it both reduces stigma and provides great relief to those who don’t quite qualify for free school meals, but are seriously struggling with the cost of food.
She adds that universalism facilitates community-building through eating together.
On the topic of the pupil premium, she responded that the NEU has been advocating for an automatic enrolment system, something which Impetus agrees with.
This would mean that all children who are eligible for the extra funding receive it.
Many struggle to apply due to issues such as stigma or language barriers.
Automatic enrolment, already being trialled in Islington, would mean schools get all the extra money available to them.
Tower Hamlets was the first council in the UK to announce universal free school meals for all school children.
In London, four other councils have followed their lead.
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