Healthy School MealsIn the news today is the expected announcement by the Scottish Government that all 5 to 7 year olds in Scotland will soon receive fee school meals. A pilot scheme running in primary schools in East Ayrshire, Fife, West Dumbartonshire, Glasgow and the Borders has proved extremely successful and the scheme is now set to be rolled out across the country.  35,000 pupils in infant schools were involved in the initial trials.
The pilot scheme cost around £5 million to set up while the move to spread the scheme throughout Scotland is expected to cost somewhere between £30 million and £46 million per year.
The purpose of the new free school meals incentive is to improve children’s diets and introduce healthy eating habits from a young age.  The results of the pilot scheme are expected later today however, a spokesperson from Fife Council revealed that since the inception of the trial the number of children having school meals has risen from 46% to around 70%.
In poorer, inner city areas a hot nutritious school meal may be the only hot meal a child eats each day.  This is just one reason that the scheme is being well received. I only wish they would extend it to all primary age children!
Adam Ingram, Children’s Minister is hoping to provide the scheme to all infant school children during the first 3 years of primary school from August 2010.
A similar pilot scheme is expected to begin in 2 areas of England in around a year. All children in primary and secondary school are entitled to a free school meal if their family’s income falls within a low income bracket.  It is anticipated that as part of the forthcoming English pilot scheme the means testing that is applied for free school meals will also be amended to allow more pupils to qualify.

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