If the Government had launched a national voucher scheme prior to term starting then we would not have seen those shocking images of low quality food parcels being delivered to children that are simply not enough to keep families fed.

Over the two week Christmas holidays the Council provided £30 per child to families in receipt of benefit-related free school meals and a healthy breakfast on top of this. This was in addition to our holiday meals provision that took place across the borough.

When term started again schools, in our borough, had a number of different arrangements as each one could use their respective school meal caterers to provide food parcels or pursue a voucher option.

We are pleased that the Government has finally announced that schools can opt into the national voucher scheme from next Monday, so we can provide our schools and families with all the options available to them, but this should have been a choice for schools from the very beginning of term.

Information on the Government’s scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools