An education charity is calling on the Scottish government to deliver on its commitment first made in 2020 to provide primary and special school pupils with a daily free breakfast.
The charity, Magic Breakfast, which provides free breakfasts in schools, says a large majority of the electorate supports the policy and its impact on learning would be hugely beneficial.
In a poll of more than 1,000 Scots, commissioned by Magic Breakfast in March, 78 per cent of respondents agreed that first minister Humza Yousaf should prioritise the government’s free breakfast commitment “within the next six months”.
Magic Breakfast is asking Mr Yousaf to make a clear commitment in his September 2023 Programme for Government and roll out breakfast provision in all primary and special schools in Scotland.
A promise to provide free breakfast was first 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 pledge, 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”.
Magic Breakfast says the need for such a policy is now greater than ever and “an already perilous economic situation faced by the most vulnerable families and children across Scotland has been hugely exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis”.
A wavering commitment
However, the new government’s commitment to even the well-established SNP policy of providing free school lunches for all primary pupils appeared to waver earlier this month when Mr Yousaf questioned whether high earners like him should be receiving free school meals for their children. He said he preferred targeting funding at “those that need it absolutely the most”.
The following day, the deputy first minister Shona Robison was forced to reaffirm that the government still intended to roll out free meals to all primary pupils.
Children in the first five years of primary in Scotland are entitled to universal free school lunches.
Those in P6 and P7 were due to benefit from August 2022 but the full roll-out never came to pass and no new date has been set for delivery.
Lindsey MacDonald, chief executive of Magic Breakfast, said it was vital that the government acted quickly to ensure the benefits of the policy were realised.
“The new first minister can demonstrate his commitment to a more progressive and fairer Scotland by delivering on this promise as breakfast can’t wait any longer,” she said.
“Backing this policy may hopefully further debate on similar investment in children across the rest of the UK.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said that Scotland already has the most generous universal free school meal provision of anywhere in the UK, saving families an average of £400 per eligible child per year.
The spokesman added: “We are developing plans to deliver free breakfasts to all primary and special school children by assessing demand and capacity so that we can best meet the needs of children and families.”
