Today I attended ‘The Great School Lunch’ in Parliament, allowing MPs and staff to sample what a modern school meal could be, but also to discuss current funding challenges.
Funding in England for Free School
Meals is currently only £2.58 per child, per day. The recently announced increase for 2025/26 increases this to £2.61, just 0.7%, whilst the living wage has recently increased by 6.7%. The £2.58 of funding also has to pay for staff costs. Approximately only 80p of the funding is spent on the food itself.
By comparison, funding in London is £3, in Wales £3.20 and in Scotland £3.30. If funding remains at the current level in England, 64% of caterers have warned that they will be unable to meet the School Food Standards.
I believe that we need to ensure funding for those on Free School Meals is sufficient, and that this reflects the increases to staff costs as a result of the Government’s budget and isn’t eroded by them.
