Free healthy school meals: Southwark extends anti-poverty measure to secondary school children in need

5 January 2024

All primary school children in Southwark have benefitted from free healthy school meals for more than a decade. Now, as poverty is on the rise nationally, Southwark Council has gone further to extend the offer all secondary pupils whose parents get Universal Credit but miss out on free school meals.

The council’s Leader and Deputy Leader joined pupils and staff at Ark Walworth Academy (11 December) to hear about the impact of a guaranteed healthy meal at school every day.

Year 9 pupil Zuzanna said: “We get given free fruit in morning break by our school. Morning break and having a school lunch helps me to concentrate in class.”

Year 11 pupil Olivia explained that increasing numbers of parents were unable to afford lunches for their children due to the cost of living crisis. She said: “Free school meals should be there everyone. We are all human. We need to fuel our bodies, because we are still growing. We need to fuel our brains, because we are still learning.

“The best bit about free school meals at primary school was everyone coming together. It was a moment in the day for unity and togetherness. That’s why I think everyone should get free school meals. I think togetherness is the key to success. It helps us to learn in the classroom.”

Year 12 pupil Samantha said: “Everyone getting free school meals at primary school meant everything was equal and balanced. We would all queue up together, sit down together, and socialise with friends. No one had to worry about having money in their account for lunch. No one had to choose a snack instead of a full lunch because that’s all they could afford.

“If you are in lessons all day, you need to have a proper lunch. Free school meals would mean you always have enough energy to succeed at school. At the end of the day, we are children and we are growing. It is not fair that some people don’t have lunch at school because they can’t afford it.”

Principal of Ark Walworth Academy, Jessica West, said: "Children cannot learn well if they're hungry; it really is that simple. If we want to do our jobs as educators, we must ensure that young people have access to good, healthy food every single day. I'm grateful for the support of the local authority in enabling our fantastic catering team to deliver meals so that every member of the Walworth Academy family is equipped to get the most from their day."

Research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that more than a million children in the UK belong to families that cannot afford to meet their most basic needs to stay warm, clean, clothed, and fed. London came out as having the highest destitution levels in 2022 with two in every five children in the capital now living in poverty.

Thanks to the Mayor of London rolling out universal free school meals to all primary schools in London this school year, Southwark Council is funding all secondary school children whose parents receive Universal Credit but miss out on free school meals because they earn above £7,400 as a family.

Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, said: “The evidence for free healthy school meals couldn’t be clearer after a decade of doing the right thing for Southwark’s children. Children are better nourished and achieving better results. So I am delighted we’ve been able to launch this new pilot to extend free healthy school meals to many more secondary pupils whose families are struggling to get by during this cost of living crisis.

“As it stands, the national threshold for free school meals is shamefully low and increasing numbers of children are going without. We are proud to be on the right side of history with the Mayor of London in refusing to accept child hunger. I call on the Government to recognise the huge benefits to society of ensuring our children are well-fed, and provide councils with the funding we need to provide free school meals to all children.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I know from personal experience what a lifeline free school meals can be which is why I have provided an unprecedented £135m to provide the meals to all state primary school children in London. I’m delighted that Southwark council have been able to use their additional funding from City Hall to extend their great work in the borough and ensure that all secondary school children whose parents receive Universal Credit receive free school meals. As parents continue to struggle with financial pressures, it’s vital that we continue to do all we can to support children as we build a better London for all.”

Cllr Jasmine Ali, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Refugees, said: “A guaranteed healthy meal at school every day has put money back in our parents’ pockets, while helping their children’s life chances grow. Now, more than ever, free healthy school meals for children from low income families are the absolute bare minimum as our country reaches disturbing levels of poverty. That’s why I am delighted that we are extending free healthy school meals to secondary pupils in need thanks to support from the Mayor of London funding all primary school meals this year in London.”

Page last updated: 05 January 2024