FREE school meals should be extended to all school pupils as an “urgent priority” to help tackle poverty, a teaching union has said.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said that expanding the provision to all pupils would be a “lifeline” for many families and described how many parents are regularly going without food so that their children can eat.
Currently children in P1 to P4 are entitled to free school meals and P5s will become eligible in January.
The EIS has written to education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, calling on her to “safeguard families from the worst ravages of poverty” and take steps to expand universal school meal provision to all school-aged children without further delay.
General secretary Larry Flanagan said: “The EIS welcomes the expansion of free school meals to all primary 4 children at the beginning of this academic session and the imminent expansion to primary 5s. But is clear that provision needs to be extended and accelerated to be inclusive of all young people at all stages of school in Scotland, as an urgent priority.”
He added: “As the cost of living rises and the economic shocks of the pandemic continue to be felt, thousands of parents, women who are single mothers especially, are going regularly without food in order that their children can eat, both at home and in school.”
Flanagan also highlighted problems with the current means-tested model of free school meal provision for pupils above P5, with many families unaware of their entitlements, while others miss out because they fall just below the threshold of entitlement. Others still do not want to face the stigma of collecting a free school meal.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We have provided funding to support the expansion of free school lunches to primary 4 and 5. Ministers are committed to funding the expansion of free school meals to all pupils in primary and special schools during this parliament.
“Our budget plans for 2022-23 will provide £30 million capital allocation for investment in school kitchen and dining areas to prepare for this further expansion.”
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