Universal free school meals for Primary 1 to 3 pupils in Scotland

Previously only primary school children whose parents were in receipt of income support, including income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit, were eligible for free school meals.

An extra 135,000 pupils across Scotland are expected to benefit from the expansion of the scheme, being funded by the Scottish Government at a cost of £95 million over two years.

It follows the move last September to make school meals free to all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in England.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon said, ‘This is an exciting and historic day for Scottish education. It’s the beginning of a new year, a new school term and free school meals are now on the menu for all Primary 1 to 3s.

‘As a Government, we want to do all we can to make sure every young person has the best start in life and can make the most of their time in school. The delivery of free school meals for all Primary 1 to 3 pupils underlines our commitment to doing all we can to support the development of our young people and tackle inequalities in our society, including the scourge of child poverty. That’s why I am delighted that this policy is worth at least £330 to families of every eligible child across Scotland.

‘School lunches are hugely important in supporting a pupil’s ability to learn. We know from recent studies that free school meals improve nutrition and health among pupils, which can only help improve attainment in schools.’

Jackie Brock, chief executive of Children in Scotland, said, 'This is a move we have backed for some time and it was an initiative we supported when the announcement was first made almost a year ago to the day.

'We are delighted that all P1 to 3 children now have free access to a high quality, healthy and nutritious meal at least once a day. This is a welcome investment to tackle hunger and poverty faced by many, as well as representing a long-term investment in improving the health of all our children and contributing to reducing the attainment gap across Scotland.'

She added, 'We know that very many families in Scotland are really struggling with increased living costs, including winter energy bills, and our most vulnerable families are facing cuts to welfare support, sanctions to benefits and increasing dependence on food banks.

'The provision of free school meals to all P1 to P3 children will help many of these families to make ends meet, and the universal approach across P1 to 3 will remove the stigma that their children may have had in the past where means testing was applied.'