Free School Meals for all primary school pupils

Poverty Some milk and books
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Insight 

More than 30,000 children in Wales are denied access to Free School Meals despite living in poverty due to current eligibility criteria. Working alongside partners the Bevan Foundation undertook research to highlight just how many children trapped in poverty are missing out on Free Schools Meals and the impact this has on their health, educational attainment and wellbeing. 

Idea 

The Bevan Foundation called on the Welsh Government to expand the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals so that at least all children whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit were eligible for support. We published a series of reports demonstrating that expanding provision was both financially affordable and practically doable and worked with members of the Wales Anti-Poverty Coalition to highlight the opportunities expanded provision may offer. 

Impact

The Bevan Foundation’s work on Free School Meals has been referenced in a number of Senedd debates, with the issue raising significantly up the political agenda.

In November 2021 Labour and Plaid Cymru published their Co-operation Agreement. The Agreement included a pledge that Free School Meals would be extended to all primary school pupils in Wales over the next three years. The commitment will benefits thousands of children in Wales, with the youngest children benefitting from September 2022. 

The Bevan Foundation continues to work on this issue to ensure that the policy is rolled out effectively. 

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