School Meals Programme
Feeding Minds, Fueling Futures
At the end of July last year (2024) we concluded our first school year of the School Meal Programme, the programme addresses the needs of children who do not qualify for Government Free School Meals but are at risk of food poverty. Over the year, we successfully funded 6,038 school meals across five local schools—four primary schools and one secondary school.
From this September 2024/25, we have continued to offer this programme with the existing five schools, added another primary plus expand to many more local schools. Our programme includes gathering data from teachers and parents both before and after funding. This data will be analysed and shared with key stakeholders to advocate for policy changes regarding free school meals. Since the start of this new academic year from September 2024 to end of January 2025 we have already funded over 6500 school meals.
“Knowing my child is starting the day with a healthy breakfast gives me peace of mind and helps him concentrate better at school.”
It was a lovely activity to do with my children, I cook for them at home every night and although I love to cook, I have, in recent times, fallen out of love with it due to rising costs, trying to make food last and trying to make meal times fun as it has become slightly laborious. However, by attending the supper club, my children have learnt some skills and a few recipes they can do with my supervision. It’s brought the fun and love back into our kitchen.
School Meals Programme – Year 2 Impact Report (2024–25)
Our second year of the School Meals Programme has shown just how powerful a simple, reliable meal can be in transforming children’s lives.
- 163 children across 7 schools.
- 20,885 meals provided – triple the pilot year total.
- Attendance improved (95.6% → 96.3%), with one school seeing persistent absence fall from 77.9% to 27.4%.
- Nearly 70% of children showed better focus and confidence in the classroom.
- Families saved around £1,500 per year, with parental food anxiety falling by 54%.
With Free School Meals expansion not due until September 2026, this programme continues to play a vital role in ensuring no child is held back by hunger.
