Wales’ Rollout Of Free School Meals To Commence In September

Reception class children in Wales will get free school meals from September – the first in a rollout for all primary school pupils.

The country’s approximately 272,000 primary school pupils are set to get free lunches by 2024.

The rollout is part of a deal between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Welsh government.

Ministers say they are working with local authorities to ensure it starts as quickly as possible to help cushion the effect of high cost of living.

A total of £225m has been set aside to pay for it over the next three years.

From September, Wales’ 22 local authorities will begin receiving the money, with pupils aged four and five the first to get their free lunches.

The mother of a seven-year-old Flynn, from Newport told Radio Wales Breakfast that free meals would be a “boost” to many families.

Claire said she feels that as children get older some can be singled out for receiving free school meals adding that as children got older, becoming singled out for receiving free school meals was a real problem.

Dilys Ellis-Jones, head teacher of Ysgol OM Edwards in Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd, expressed  pleasure at the news adding that families are facing tough times with everyday costs of living.

Ellis-Jones added that for families to be able to have free school meals is great news while insisting that no child should go hungry in school or come to school hungry.

The scheme is seen as a key part of helping people during the cost of living crisis.

Owen Evans, chief executive of the Children in Wales group, added: “We would always like to see free school meals or payments reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.

“But I think within the constraints and the context we are very pleased to see a time-frame put forward that commences this process and makes sure that this financial year some people in Wales will begin benefiting from this policy.”

On her part, Laura Doel, NAHT Cymru director, supports the policy but said the implementation has been “quite rushed” and that some schools are “struggling with the ambitious timetable”.

Conservatives in the Senedd are opposed to the expansion of free school meals. Education spokeswoman Laura Anne Jones said the government should “focus their resources on the students that need it most”

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, called it an “extremely welcome development that should go some way towards addressing the extremely high child poverty rates in Wales”.

Years 1 and 2 are due to get them from April 2023 ahead of the full implementation in the 2023-24 school year.