We attach a draft press release below for your local area on the future of free school meals.
As you may have read, the Tories have put the scheme under the spotlight as part of the comprehensive spending review.
David Cameron has offered lukewarm support to the policy, but hardly a ringing endorsement.
A spreadsheet showing how many youngsters benefit from the policy across the UK is below.
TEMPLATE PRESS RELEASE
<NUMBER> could lose free school meals under Tory plans – <SPOKESPERSON>
Thousands of children in <AREA> could lose their right to a free school meal under Conservative plans to review the scheme.
Universal free school meals offer every infant child a healthy meal at lunchtime, which saves families more than£400 per child per year.
Evidence shows where children have been given a free school dinner, their results improved compared to youngsters who didn’t get one.
These academic improvements were most marked among children from the poorest backgrounds.
There are currently <NUMBER> children who receive free school meals in <AREA>, who would lose them if the Conservatives follow through with plans reported in the media recently.
<SPOKESPERSON> said: “If this goes ahead, the Tories will show they are willing to take an axe to the education budget at the expense of children’s learning.
“By scrapping this policy they would take food off the plates of thousands children across <AREA> who now benefit from a free healthy meal at lunchtime.
“The Liberal Democrats fought tooth and nail to get this through in Coalition because we want every child to have the best possible start in life and be able to concentrate in class, and all the evidence shows that a healthy meal helps with that.
“Instead of further investing in our children, the Tories are turning up at the school gate and stealing their lunch money.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
All evidence on the benefits of universal free school meals comes from the independent evaluation of the 2009 pilots:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184047/DFE-RR227.pdf
The School Food Plan, written by independent school food reviewers Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, recommended introducing free school meals for all primary school children:
http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/plan/
Downloads:
2015 LDHQ Free School Meals (MS Word)
2015 LDHQ Free School Meals figures (MS Excel)