Councillor says pilot to feed poverty-hit Glasgow secondary pupils ‘is not enough'

Yahoo

11 hours ago

A PROMINENT councillor is calling on the Scottish Government to commit to long-term funding to ensure free school meals are rolled out to every S1 to S4 secondary school pupil across the city.
Paul Carey BEM says choosing just four Glasgow secondaries for a £200,000 pilot project that will see 400 youngsters given a healthy lunch means that many living in poverty elsewhere will be left hungry.
Castlemilk, Drumchapel and Lochend high schools, as well as pupils at Springburn Academy, have been chosen to participate, with those whose parents are carers or in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment qualifying.
Cllr Carey says the scheme does not go far enough to help those in Glasgow living on the breadline.
He said: 'The reality is that we need to secure better funding from the Scottish Government to ensure that no child is going hungry at school, especially those living in areas of high deprivation and unemployment.
'I want to see the initiative extended to every high school in Glasgow, including pupils in fourth year. We need to ensure that as many youngsters as possible are getting at least one healthy hot feed every weekday.
'We know how important it is to fuel youngsters with nutritious food and for many this might be the only decent meal they get. It's important that this is offered to every youngster from S1 to S4.'
Paul Carey BEM (Image: supplied) Councillor Carey, Labour's elected member for Drumchapel and Anniesland, says that working poverty is very real for many families in his constituency who are struggling to make ends meet.
He added: 'Drumchapel has one of the highest poverty rates in Glasgow. Parents here are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, pay bills and put clothes on their back They often have no option but to turn to cheap, unhealthy foods. Clearly the Scottish Government knows that this is an issue, that why this pilot is being tested in areas with high deprivation.
'I welcome the scheme being rolled out at Drumchapel High, however we need to ensure this doesn't come to an end when the funding runs out next year. Kids can access free school meals from P1 to P5, but what happens when they go to high school and are not eligible for a free lunch.'
At a full council meeting last week, Councillor Christina Cannon, convenor of education and early years, advised members that the pilot will last for one year and that money had been awarded to eight local authorities across the country.Cllr Cannon said: 'Of course, we want everyone in these schools who are eligible at S1 to S3 to take up the free meals on offer.
'This is great news for Glasgow and families in the city because we know school meals are essential for fuelling our pupils' learning and allowing them to flourish.
'We are continuing to put children, young people and families first and this investment will also complement the commitment the SNP group made in our budget in February this year to deliver free school meals to all primary six pupils, starting in August this year, then expanding to all primary seven pupils in August 2026.'
Speaking about the scheme, First Minister John Swinney, said: 'It's a measure designed to tackle the cost-of-living challenges families face, to tackle child poverty and to make sure that children have good health, nutritious food to strengthen their ability to learn in school.'
'The free school meals programme is key in our national mission to eradicate child poverty, which saves families who take up the offer around £450 per eligible child per year.
'This next phase of the rollout will ensure that this offer is available to more families across the country.
'We know the positive impact that access to a healthy and nutritious meal can have on a pupil's learning and achievement in school.'