Free school meals for all primary pupils in Scotland may not be offered until after 2026 election, it has emerged.
First minister Humza Yousaf, in setting out the 2023-24 Programme for Government, insisted that he was still committed to universal free school meals.
However, the full realisation of the policy has been delayed a number of times, and now may not even happen in the course of this parliamentary term, which will come to an end in the run-up to the May 2026 Scottish elections.
Free meals have been gradually rolled out in primary school over a number of years, with P5 the last year group to be added to the scheme, in January 2022.
P6-7s were due to follow in August 2022, but that was delayed and then, in May this year, reports emerged that the first minister had indicated that this might not happen at all - only for the government to insist that was not the case, after a backlash.
Free school meals expansion delayed
In a statement yesterday to the Scottish Parliament on the Programme for Government, Mr Yousaf said: “I can confirm that, working with councils, we will roll out universal free school meals for all pupils in primary 6 and 7, starting with those children in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.”
The 2023-24 Programme for Government document sets out this priority for education secretary Jenny Gilruth: ”Work with [local authorities’ body] Cosla in the coming year to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of universal free school meal provision to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils during 2026, starting with those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, and work with local authorities to ensure that school meals meet the highest standards of nutrition, recognising that this is vital to our children’s effective learning.”
Tes Scotland understands that, while the initial priority will be rollout to P6-7s who receive the Scottish Child Payment, there is no firm date for this. We also understand that, while the aim is for full rollout to all P6-7s in 2026, this could happen before or after the May 2026 parliamentary election. The start of the 2026-27 school year would mark four years since the initial target date for P6-7 rollout.
Meanwhile, a charity has criticised the Programme for Government over the absence of any mention of school breakfasts in its anti-poverty plans.
Lindsey MacDonald, chief executive of Magic Breakfast, said: “Whilst we welcome plans to expand Scottish government-funded childcare and school lunches, we can only look on with dismay as the government excludes the proven policy intervention of breakfast in its plans.
“The government must now make it clear whether they see universal breakfast provision as part of Scotland’s answer to childcare, because today’s Programme is silent. Right now, this is another broken promise with empty words leading to more empty tummies.”
A promise to provide free breakfasts was made in November 2020 by then education secretary John Swinney, who told the SNP conference that the party would “extend free provision of a healthy breakfast to all primary pupils”.
Then in its manifesto for the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, the SNP reiterated the promise, saying it would provide “free school breakfasts and lunches to every primary school pupil in Scotland, all year round, and for all children in state-funded special schools in Scotland”.
