Below-inflation rise for free school meals will leave schools out of pocket, says NAHT

School leaders’ union, NAHT, has responded to an announcement by the Department for Education regarding funding schools receive per infant free school meal.

Funding will increase from £2.58 to £2.61, but education leaders and charities around the country have expressed concern about the shortfall between this amount and the actual cost of providing a high-quality, nutritious meal.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at NAHT, said: “This disappointing below-inflation increase will still leave many schools having to subsidise free school meals from budgets already seriously stretched after years of real-terms funding cuts under previous governments.

“School Food Matters, which runs food education programmes in schools, has estimated that it now costs £3.16 to provide a hot meal. Suppliers sometimes pass on increased costs of producing meals and school leaders are caught between a rock and a hard place. They don’t want to compromise on the quality of the food provided, but that may mean having to cut spending on other things which may affect children’s learning.

“We urge the government to look carefully at the actual costs of providing meals and make sure these are fully covered in the funding school receive.”

The updated funding will come into effect from September and will be offered to all pupils in reception, Year 1, and Year 2.