3p rise in free school meal funding will stretch school budgets, union warns

A 3p rise in Government funding paid to schools to provide free school meals will mean many schools will have to dip into already “stretched” budgets, a headteachers’ union has warned.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said the funding for free school meals offered to all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will rise from £2.58 to £2.61 a meal in the next academic year.

But Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said headteachers may be forced to make cuts which affect pupils’ learning due to insufficient funding for free school meals.

A report by charity School Food Matters in October last year estimated that it actually costs £3.16 per meal to provide a lunch to pupils.

Schools in England are already facing financial challenges including rising demand for special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision and potential unfunded pay rises for teachers.

Mr Whiteman 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.”

He added: “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 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 schools receive.”

Judith Gregory, chair of LACA, which represents members who work in the school food sector, said: “We will be challenging the 1.2% rise as it in no way reflects the true cost increases the school meals service is suffering.”

She added that the £2.61 rate “falls significantly short” of the actual cost of provision.