Serving cold, healthy food instead of a hot lunch could help schools meet the challenges of extending free school meals to all elementary school students from September, according to a think tank.
Free meals will be gradually extended to all children between the ages of four and eleven, starting with the youngest.
However, there are concerns as to whether the schools will have enough staff and space to deliver on the promise.
The Welsh Government says it is working to tackle logistical challenges.
The Bevan Foundation said in a recent report that the “lack of detail on the scope, pace and method” of the rollout meant “several crucial questions” remained unanswered.
Questions include which children will get free meals from September under the plan agreed by Labor and Plaid Cymru.
The Welsh Government has said it will start with “some of the youngest pupils”, with speculation they could start reception classes before expanding to more children in the following months.
The Bevan Foundation said it could mean some older primary school children won’t get free school meals until September 2025.
- Pledge of free second meals from the checkered leader
- Parents get £100 to pay for PE kits
- Should the summer holidays be shortened to three weeks?
In January 2021, 23.8% of all primary school pupils in Wales were entitled to free school meals.
The Welsh Government estimates a further 196,000 children will become eligible under the promise to extend it.
dr Steffan Evans, head of policy at the Bevan Foundation, says the pledge to expand free school meals is a “great principle”.
He believes the Welsh Government should allow local authorities to serve healthy, cold meals in schools whose facilities are not ready for the immediate introduction of universal hot meals.
“In order to get as many children as possible to benefit from this policy in the short term, I think it’s important to have that flexibility,” he said.
“We know more and more families will be dealing with rising costs this winter, so I think most families would welcome making sure that as many children as possible benefit from the provision of healthy free meals, even if it is.” cold meals while we increase capacity in the long term.”
At Ysgol Twm o’r Nant Primary School in Denbighshire, around 9% of children are entitled to free school meals.
School principal Dafydd Elgan Davies said the new policy will have a “major impact” on parents struggling to pay for school meals and create “a more level playing field”.
He believes the school is well placed to increase the number of meals and staggered lunch times introduced during the pandemic will help.
The school kitchen is getting new appliances and combi ovens, and the county has introduced a new menu that is “nutritious and good value” but “easier to cook”, according to chef Jane Jones, a former Welsh school cook of the year.
“I look forward to seeing more kids having a nice, hot lunch and going up front in the afternoon to do whatever they need to do,” she said.
She acknowledges that staffing could be a challenge.
“The district has started hiring more people, but I understand that this sector is suffering at the moment,” she says.
“We hope that someone would like to come and work here with us.”
And what about overtime for the kitchen staff?
“Possibly yes,” she adds, “but that’s fine because I love to cook.”
There are almost a quarter of a million primary school children in Wales.
Research from BBC Wales has found that around 40% of them currently receive free or paid school meals.
- Schools in Wales are accused of ignoring or denying racism
- Animal rights activists want to remove meat from school menus
According to local authorities, hundreds of primary schools need new equipment to improve school meal service and several schools need expansions to their existing kitchens.
All but six primary schools in Swansea are in need of modernization or expansion.
Of Caerphilly’s 73 primary schools, two need kitchen extensions, four require ‘moderate’ work and 65 require ‘extra heavy equipment’.
Three of Bridgend’s schools need to be expanded and 41 modernised.
Laura Doel, director of the National Association of Headteachers Cymru, said there was full support for the ambition to extend free meals, but there was a need to “be realistic about the challenges”.
These include infrastructure, supply chain issues, managing waste and longer-term financing, she said.
“We don’t want the system to be pressured so that those learners for whom lunch at school is their only cooked meal get a lower offer. We must ensure that the most disadvantaged are supported,” Ms Doel added.
The Welsh Government has said every primary school pupil could have a free school meal by 2024.
It said £225million was available to help councils roll out so they could “provide pupils with a quality and nutritious range of food”.
“We need to balance the pace of rollout with the capacity of local authorities and schools to build the necessary infrastructure to provide quality and safety and not disadvantage current recipients,” a spokesman said.
“We will make a further statement on the rollout in due course.”
- FANCY A WALK?: Welsh walks to try this summer
- WILD MOUNTAINS OF SNOWDONIA: Five farming families open their gates and share their lives
Add Comment