Free school meals van tour arrives in Liverpool
Children will be handing in postcards to the Prime Minister at the Labour Party Conference
A tour van calling for free school meals for every primary school child in England has arrived in Liverpool.
It's calling on the Labour government, as the party's conference is held in the city, to back extending a free school meals extension.
Currently, they are only available to Reception, Year 1 and 2 children and all primary school children in London and Wales.
The van is visiting hundreds of children from four primary schools and a delegation of 40 students will back the National Education Union's campaign outside the Labour Party conference tomorrow (Tuesday).
New analysis from the NEU has found that nearly 14,000 primary school children in Liverpool are currently missing out on a free hot lunch at school.
Kim Johnson, Liverpool Riverside MP, said:
"These last few years have been a catastrophic crisis for families and children, and we are not out of the woods yet. Our new Labour Government can and should do more to reverse the damage done to children's life chances by Rishi Sunak's Government by funding Free School Meals for every primary school child in England, as Mayor Sadiq Khan already has in London.
"The introduction of universal Free School Meals across the country has the potential to offer children the very best start in life – by directly addressing hunger and poor nutrition from a young age, we can help tackle one of the most severe public health threats currently faced by our children."
Josie, Y6 pupil at Monksdown Primary School, said:
"For the last 16 months me and my school friends have been campaigning for Free School Meals For All Primary aged children. I find it heart-breaking that so many families in England, Liverpool and even my school are struggling to feed their children. We decided that we wanted to have our voices heard, for people to understand what is happening, and to hopefully make a difference.
"Primary aged children in London have been entitled to free school meals for the past year and will receive them for the next year. We think it is unfair that children here in Liverpool are going hungry, that they can't concentrate and often are struggling with their health.
"We wrote to the Prime Minister in July 2023 asking for Free School Meals and we are now doing it again. We want children to have the best start possible, for them to be able to learn, play and grow - this can only be done if they are well fed."
Ann-Marie Ferrigan, Monksdown Primary School, said:
"At Monksdown we feel it’s so important that our children know their voices matter. Our pupils feel very strongly that everyone should have Free School Meals, that's why we’re giving them the opportunities to make their perspectives heard.
"Last year our pupils made the front pages when they told then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that millions of children are living in poverty, and needed his help.
"Today they’re asking that same question again of Sir Keir Starmer. I hope he hears our call and acts so that the rest of England gets the same fantastic Free School Meals for All scheme London has."
Samir Karnik Hinks, Development Officer for Feeding Liverpool, said:
"Feeding Liverpool support the Free School Meals for All campaign as we believe this is a key policy which can help to alleviate food insecurity across the country.
"There are no typical foodbank users, and families with working parent(s) are particularly struggling as low income thresholds exclude many from financial support. We work with many schools who are having to create their own food support systems to feed children and their carers. Extending Free School Meals to every Primary School Child would relieve financial pressure on household budgets, and ensure that children are getting the nutrition they need to grow and learn.
"Adopting Free School Meals across every Primary School also necessitates a conversation about the place of schools in our food system. Too many schools have little to no direct control over the food they can provide. We need food in schools to be accessible, democratic, sustainably sourced with input from local growers, and fair wages across whole supply chains. Free School Meals for All can be a step forward to reshaping our food environment in a healthier and more equitable way."
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary at National Education Union, said:
"One in five schools in England now report running foodbanks. Our school communities are doing all they can but a crisis of this scale requires government intervention. We’re asking this parliament to commit to ending child hunger in our schools so every child can learn and thrive."