National Assembly for Wales

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Welcomes that the Welsh Government:

a) provided over £50 million of additional funding to ensure the continued provision of free school meals during the pandemic and was the first government in the UK to provide provision during school holidays;

b) provided additional funding to ensure that children who are self-isolating or shielding continue to receive free school meal provision when they are not able to attend school;

c) provides funding of £19.50 per week to free school meal-eligible families, which is the most generous provision in the UK;

d) ensured that Wales remains the only country in the UK to have a universal free breakfasts in primary schools scheme;

e) has been recognised by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) for being successful in ensuring families eligible for free school meals during the pandemic had “access to timely and appropriate support”;

f) is committed to reviewing the income threshold for receiving free school meals when Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data becomes available in April 2021.

Education Policy Institute

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To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the existing eligibility criteria for free school meals in Wales.

2. Recognises the financial hardship faced by families across Wales as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the challenges that this has posed for parents and guardians, and its impact on the demand for free school meals.

3. Welcomes the role that free school meals have in improving health and nutrition.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to amend the eligibility criteria for free school meals to extend provision to:

a) learners in further education; and

b) families without an income and who are not immediately able to claim public funds.