Receiving class children in Wales will be getting free school meals from September – the first in an induction for all primary school pupils.
By 2024, all of the country’s roughly 272,000 elementary school students are to receive a free lunch.
It’s part of a deal between Plaid and the Welsh Labor government.
Due to the cost of living crisis, ministers said they were working with local authorities to ensure it gets started as soon as possible.
Funding of £225m has been earmarked over the next three years.
From September, Wales’ 22 local authorities will receive the money, with schoolchildren aged four and five being the first to receive their free lunch.
Welsh Conservative education spokeswoman Laura Anne Jones said the government should “focus its resources on the pupils who need them most”.
Grades 1 and 2 are scheduled to receive them from April 2023 ahead of full implementation in the 2023-24 school year.
In England, children are entitled to a free school meal from admission to 2nd grade, but beyond that it is means tested.
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“No child should ever go to school hungry,” said Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
“Given the pressure many families are under from the rising cost of living, we are absolutely committed to taking concrete action to support our children and young people.
“Younger children are more likely to live in relative income poverty, so we will start providing decent free school meals for children in reception from September, with most children in 1st and 2nd graders also receiving free school meals until next April.”
Plaid Cymru’s Sian Gwenllian called it a “significant intervention” that would “make a real difference now and in the future.”
“Not only in relation to tackling child hunger and poverty, but also to advance our broader goals of local food production and supporting local economies,” she said.
“This ambitious endeavor will be life-changing for many and will be of significant benefit to families across the country.”
Ms Jones said: “The priority now should be to ensure that post-pandemic young people get their education back on track and get pupils back to school, as Welsh children have missed most days of school over the past two years .
“The Welsh Government must also explain how it intends to move Wales off the bottom of the educational ladder and end underfunding for our students – where Welsh children are £1,000 worse off compared to other parts of the UK.”
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