The provision of free meals for all of London’s primary school children has alleviated food poverty, benefited school communities and been good for their family lives, according to a report by an independent health charity.
Impact on Urban Health, which is part of the Guy’s and St Thomas’s Foundation, conducted an evaluation of the policy introduced by Sadiq Khan in September 2023, the start of the school year, and meant the number of children entitled to free school meals rose by 270,000.
The study found that the policy was popular with parents across the income range – reflecting an average take-up of the offer of 89.1 per cent – who felt it countered the effects of the high cost of living and also by those working in schools, who told researchers it had “helped to address to problems of hidden hunger and food insecurity” as well as improving access to nutritious food.
More than half of parents surveyed on Universal Credit said the policy was “significantly helping” their household finances, compared with 31 per cent of those receiving the benefit. City Hall data showed that take-up of free school meals among those means-tested for them rose from 88 per cent to 94 per cent after the Mayor’s policy came into effect.
There were wider benefits for school communities as a whole, according to the report. “Our research shows that before the policy was introduced many families found the mornings before school highly stressful,” it says, but now find “their mornings run more smoothly”.
The report, entitled More than a Meal, also says researcher identified “widespread examples of parents, school staff and children noticing positive shifts in behaviour, concentration and energy levels during the school day,” with a third of parents surveyed believing that “access to a filling, healthy lunch means their children can concentrate better in lessons”. Children, too, “talked about feeling ‘stronger and healthier’ and having ‘more energy’”.
Welcoming the report’s findings, Mayor Khan described the policy as one of his proudest at City Hall, and underlined his pledge to maintain it throughout his current term as Mayor. “I will continue to do all I can to support Londoners as we continue to build a fairer and healthier London for everyone,” he said.
Read the Impact on Urban Health report HERE.
OnLondon.co.uk provides unique coverage of the capital’s politics, development and culture. Support the website and its writers for just £5 a month or £50 a year and get things for your money that other people won’t. Details HERE. Follow Dave Hill on Bluesky. Photograph from More than a Meal report.
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