Minister of State for Schools, David Laws MP, has today announced that all primary school pupils in Barnet will receive free school meals from September this year. In a letter to Barnet Chief Executive, Andrew Travers, and local MPs, he confirmed that all of the Borough’s schools are set to implement the plans and complemented the Conservative-run Council on its readiness.
Commenting on the announcement, Mike Freer said “An additional 1.5million pupils across the country will get a hot, healthy lunch for free, saving a family on average around £430 a year. I am delighted that Barnet’s schools will be implementing the plans this year”.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced in his Autumn Statement that the Government will provide funding for free school lunches for all state-funded pupils in reception, years 1 & 2, and disadvantaged students in further education and sixth form colleges. Free meals for primary pupils will commence from the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year in Barnet, earlier than many schools across the country.