Published: Tuesday, 28th October, 2008 12:43pm

Campaigners call for reassurance on school meals

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Free school meals: SBC said they will not be rolled out in the Borders unless it finds more cash.

FREE School Meals campaigners have today written to Borders Council leaders seeking reassurance that free school meals will be rolled out to all P1 to P3 pupils in 2010, as agreed with the Scottish Government in a Concordat signed in November 2007.

According to the letter, the campaigners, who include the Association of Headteachers and Deputes Scotland (AHDS), the Child Poverty Action Group, One Parent Families Scotland, Poverty Alliance and members of the Scottish Churches Social Inclusion Network, are 'concerned that the huge benefits to children and families of a universal approach to free school meals...could be overshadowed by the reported disagreement on the wider funding settlement between local and national government."

The Campaign believes that given the consensus that exists on the importance of healthy eating for children"s education, health and wellbeing it would be 'a tragedy if a scheme which has boosted healthy school take up by such extraordinary levels (from 53% to 75% in the pilot areas) were not to be rolled out across Scotland as agreed."

They argue that 'the further benefit to hard pressed family budgets..cannot be underestimated in these increasingly difficult economic times."

John Dickie, Head of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland, a leading member of the Campaign and signatory to the letter, said: 'It is vital that all local authorities, as well as Ministers, stick to the commitments they have made.

"Free school meals were explicitly agreed as part of the funding settlement and underpinning Concordat signed between councils and the Scottish Government last year.

"It would be a tragedy if the education, health and wellbeing of our children were to fall foul of an apparent dispute between national and local government.

"For the sake of children and hard pressed families across Scotland, the promise of free school meals for every child in the early years of primary school must be kept.'

Greg Dempster, General Secretary of the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS), another signatory to the letter, said: 'For some time AHDS has supported the move to extend free school meals and looks forward to its implementation around Scotland.

"There are much rehearsed nutritional and educational benefits to be had from such a move. Of course, the real prize to be had from what is undeniably a significant investment is the potential long term impact on the health of our nation.'