Joanne McCartney AM
Member of the London Assembly for Enfield and HarringeyDeputy Mayor for Children and Families in London, Joanne McCartney, sets out why universal free school meal schemes are the way forward to address food insecurity, improve health and education outcomes for children and build a brighter future for young people.
The Reality for Many
No just society should tolerate a situation where mothers are staging a five-day hunger strike outside Parliament to ask for support in feeding their children, but regrettably, that is the reality that we are currently facing.
Children should not be punished for circumstances beyond their control. They should not be forced to go hungry and they should not be worrying about their family’s finances. Sadly, many families find themselves in exactly this situation. Universal free school meal (UFSM) provision is one of the ways forward in tackling food insecurity and improving the lives of future generations.
Why Provide Universal Free School Meals?
For the first time in London’s history, all primary-aged pupils in state-funded schools are entitled to a free school meal (FSM) every day. The Mayor of London introduced this as an emergency measure to support families through the cost-of-living crisis. The policy’s extension for a second academic year highlights its vital role in continuing to support struggling families.
We know from the case in London, as well as the other cities and countries across the world that deliver UFSM, that there are significant benefits to the policy. Alongside alleviating financial pressure for families and improving food insecurity levels, UFSM has been shown to boost attainment and attendance, improve dietary standards and help combat childhood obesity.
City Hall has undertaken extensive engagement with parents, headteachers, boroughs, and pupils to understand the impact this programme is having on them. The insights from these activities provide us with the stark truth about the lived experiences of Londoners. One thing that has been consistently evident is that free school meals make a very real, and very tangible, difference to children and their families.
Saving Families Money
In London currently, families receiving FSM are saving upwards of £440 per year per child. This provides financial respite that can be spent on other essentials to support their children. After just one term, polling from the National Education Union (NEU) showed that 78 per cent of families reported their budgets easing. One poignant anecdote shared by a child, aged nine, described how they are grateful their parents are no longer going into an overdraft to pay for their lunch. We know there are countless other children who go to bed with those same worries.
A PwC analysis has found that the benefits for the wider economy are just as strong – for every £1 invested in healthy school meals, £1.71 is returned in increased educational outcomes, better health, and longer-term economic benefits.
Raising Healthier Children
It is well-documented that food insecurity negatively affects children’s wellbeing and physical health. The London boroughs that were delivering UFSM prior to the Mayor’s funding have shown reductions in obesity by up to 11 per cent for their young residents. Since the rollout of the scheme across the capital, 54 per cent of London parents have seen an improvement in the variety of their children’s diet, according to research from the NEU. For some children, their school meal may be their only nutritious meal of the day. To improve children’s health outcomes, it is vital that we protect this.
Supporting Learning
Qualitative research from City Hall has shown that both teachers and pupils report that concentration levels are better in their afternoon lessons since they started having a healthy, nutritious meal at lunchtime. Research in England and abroad corroborates these findings, with improvements in behaviour, concentration, and attainment found when universal free school meals are introduced – these are shown to be strongest for those children who are from less affluent families.
Improving Social Cohesion
Through engagement with pupils themselves, the Mayor has heard from hundreds of young people about the joy, excitement, and acceptance that they feel as they sit and eat with their friends. Many people who were eligible for FSM as children will remember the shame they felt when singled out from their peers.
However, today, schools work incredibly hard to avoid children feeling stigmatised. The families we have worked with have been vulnerable and forthcoming in sharing with us their feelings of shame for receiving FSM because of other inadvertent subtle ways of highlighting their circumstances. Stigma is a by-product of living in poverty but with universalism, children can queue up and eat together, all equal and no child being highlighted for any reason.
Building Brighter Futures
The levels of child poverty in England today are disturbing and require urgent attention. What are policymakers doing but trying to improve society and shape a better future for generations to come? We can all play a role in changing the direction of their lives. Schools, local authorities, third-sector organisations, and policymakers have been integral to the successful rollout of UFSM in London. We can all continue to work together to lift families out of poverty and provide more opportunities to children and young people across London and England.
Countries around the world have already been providing universal free school meals for many years, including India, Sweden, Brazil, and Estonia, amongst others. Will England follow in their footsteps to become the next country to safeguard the future of our youth and make their nutrition a priority?
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