Why Sadiq Khan is (probably) Right on Free School Meals

Four reasons why

Sadiq Khan has announced that he intends to extend funding for free school meals to every primary school child in London. Here is why I think this is probably a very good idea.

First, it removes the stigma from claiming free school meals. I was eligible for free school meals when I was a child and there was a real stigma attached to it. For example, you had to show a bright yellow pass when collecting your lunch and there were certain items which you were not allowed. It was all quite embarrassing. So much so that my mum would often make me a packed lunch instead which obviously added to the financial pressures we were facing as a family. This was not an isolated incident at my school and the stigma still persists to this day. As such, making free school meals universal would remove this stigma and ensure that all children receive a healthy meal.

Second, it stops children falling through the gaps. For whatever reason, perhaps due to the stigma or a change in circumstances some children who would otherwise be entitled to free school meals are not receiving them. Given that we are currently living through a cost of living crisis, there are no doubt many children who would fit into this second category. Again, making it universal will avoid this from happening.

Third, it will provide a good natural experiment of how effective such a policy would be if rolled out across the country. Unfortunately there hasn’t been a great deal of research done into the effectiveness of free school meals so this will be incredibly helpful.

Finally, what evidence we do have does demonstrate the importance of children getting a healthy meal while at school. For example, the research does suggest that universal free school meals does reduce school absences. Given the negative impact on learning of even missing just one day of school, this has the potential to translate into children being more likely to achieve better grades.

However, the government shouldn’t stop there. It can help to tackle child poverty by scrapping the cruel two-child limit on benefits which has exacerbated poverty for many families. We should also make child benefits much more generous.

It’s been encouraging to see Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt say that they want to prioritise education. This is a good thing and a high quality education has the potential to transform a child’s life chances. However, if they are going hungry or their family is experiencing poverty then this is obviously going to have a negative impact on their learning. As such, if we want to ensure that every child has the potential to reach their full potential then the government is going to need to spend more money to help alleviate poverty.