The Liberal Democrats announced yesterday that their election manifesto will include a commitment to extending free school meals to all children in primary school.
The pledge, taking the cost of free lunches in primary schools to £1.2 billion a year, would be among Lib Dem demands should the party be involved in new coalition talks if neither the Tories nor Labour win a majority.
Nick Clegg has faced intense criticism of his handling of the current policy of offering free school meals to children up to 7, which takes effect from this week.
Critics accused him of bouncing the Department for Education into policy, forcing it to reallocate budgets and with only a year to prepare. But the Lib Dems are convinced that risks in implementing the pledge have been overstated and that it will prove popular with parents.
The new pledge, extending free school lunches to children aged 8 to 11, will not be attached to a timescale and would be done “when resources allow” in the next Parliament, Lib Dems said.
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A school food plan, commissioned by the coalition and directed by restaurateurs Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, recommended free school meals for all primary school children, saying nutrition and health benefits would be complemented by children eating together and led to better results.
David Laws, the Lib Dem schools minister and author of the party’s manifesto, said: “All the evidence shows that if you give children a healthy and nutritious meal at lunch time, they find it easier to concentrate and to learn. Free school meals boost results, help children eat more healthy food, and save parents money.
“The first wave of free school meals is on track and schools are set to defy critics by delivering one of the most progressive changes to school food in a generation. Liberal Democrats will take the next step, as recommended by the independent School Food Plan, and make it a reality for primary school pupils too.”
The proposal was backed by one of the largest public sector unions, as the GMB said it would represent an important progressive change.
Brian Strutton, the GMB’s national secretary for public services, said “Universal free school meals without means testing is good for children, good for their education and good for their families. GMB wants to see the current provision for infant children extended to junior school age children where we expect the benefits to be even greater.”