The Scottish Government is expanding its Free School Meals programme to cover an additional 6000 high school pupils in a trial project beginning in August.
This trial phase of the free school meals programme will see S1 to S3 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, who attend selected schools in eight local authority areas, receive a nutritious and healthy meal. This takes the number of pupils being offered free school meals in Scotland to over 360,000.
An investment of £3 million will support almost 60 schools across eight proposed areas of Aberdeen, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Fife, Glasgow, Moray, North Ayrshire, Shetland and South Lanarkshire from August 2025.
The intention to expand to free school meals was included in the Programme for Government released in May of this year, alongside plans to further fund breakfast clubs throughout the country, and to effectively scrap the two-child benefit cap.
This is currently a trial phase, however, and will not yet be implemented throughout the country, limited to only eight local authority areas: Aberdeen, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Fife, Glasgow, Moray, North Ayrshire, Shetland and South Lanarkshire.
First Minister John Swinney said: “The free school meals programme is key in our national mission to eradicate child poverty, which saves families who take up the offer around £450 per eligible child per year. This next phase of the rollout will ensure that this offer is available to more families across the country.
“We know the positive impact that access to a healthy and nutritious meal can have on a pupil’s learning and achievement in school. This demonstrates how important the programme is in our efforts to close the poverty-related attainment gap in Scotland, ensuring that every child is given an opportunity to succeed in education regardless of their background.
“The Scottish Government will also continue its broader support to tackle the cost of the school day, including our £14.2 million School Uniform Clothing Grant and our investment in the £1 billion Scottish Attainment Challenge.”
