A campaign has been launched demanding Welsh Government provides nutritious, free school meals for every state school pupil in Wales.
Inspired by Finland, which has had universal free school meals since 1948, it is currently trying to get 10,000 people to sign a Senedd petition by June 2021 and will hold an online rally on Wednesday, featuring speakers from child poverty groups, social workers and teachers unions.
They say the campaign, launched by People’s Assembly Wales, is needed now due to growing levels of child poverty during the pandemic, following on from a decade of austerity. As a first step they say Welsh Government should immediately extend free school provision to all children in poverty and to all infants.
“The government should roll out universal free school meals to all pupils, throughout the journey of full-time education. It is important that children receive a nutritious diet during a time of rapid growth and development,” said Donna Ali who will address the rally from The Campbell Network – a group named after Wales’ first black headteacher, the late Betty Campbell, founded by parents campaigning against the effects of racism in school.
“Poverty is a pandemic pushing people into debt…Wales needs to adopt the slogan: Prevention is better than cure. Everything we do should be from the foundation up!,” she said.
The issues of free school meals and child hunger has come to prominence during the Coronavirus crisis as the Premier League striker Marcus Rashford drew on his own experience to force the Tory Government into providing meal vouchers outside of school term. Many pointed to the fact that Welsh Government had already committed to feeding some children during the holidays, but the group says this wasn’t the whole story.
According to Child Poverty Action Group over half of children in Wales (70,000) are currently not eligible for free school meals, with Wales being the worst country in the UK for allocation of free school meals to children in poverty.
Allison Hulmes, National Director of British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Cymru said the organisation was supporting the free school meals campaign because it was “fundamental to the anti-poverty campaigning the group has been undertaking for a number of years in the UK and internationally.
“We want to see an end to poverty and inequality, and challenge the austerity policies that contribute to this….” she said “…in their day to day work social workers see the effect of poverty on vulnerable children and families. Social work is a profession rooted not only in compassion, but in human rights and a commitment to social justice. This is why we must campaign in support of free school meals for all children in Wales.”
Adam Johannes from People’s Assembly Wales, who campaign against austerity, cuts and privatisation, said that as a first step they are asking the Welsh Government to urgently extend provision to all families in poverty including those on universal credit or equivalent benefits or with no recourse to public funds, to implement universal free school meals to all infants as is the case already in England and Scotland, as the first step towards nutritious, free school meals for every state school pupil in Wales.
“This radical anti-poverty and pro-dietary health measure works in Finland, Sweden & Estonia. We think it can work in Wales,” he said.
Campaigners are urging Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford to follow Nicola Sturgeon in announcing, before Christmas, plans to extend free school meals to all primary school children.
Frances Curran, former Member of Scottish Parliament for Scottish Socialist Party who will be speaking at the meeting said that as a member of the Scottish Parliament, she introduced the Free School Meals bill 15 years ago, but it was derailed. Just recently, however, measures have been put in place to provide meals for all children in Scotland.
“I’m glad that the Scottish parliament has got there in the end,” she said. “The arguments are now won, and once introduced no child in Scotland will go hungry and every parent can go to bed reassured and safe in that knowledge. This is decision a parliament and a nation can be proud of and I am.”
As an MSP between 2003-7 Frances Curran was the public face of a large grassroots campaign for universal free school meals that won support from trade unions, anti-poverty, women’s and community groups, the British Medical Association, dieticians, nutritionists and public health experts.
The petition argues that “Free schools meals help struggling families, reduce stigma and inequality, and improve children’s health and wellbeing.” It says that the benefits of universal free school meals for all school-aged children in Wales will include helping family budgets and home life, creating bonds in the dinner hall through shared meal experiences and improving health inequalities among children, among other benefits.
The Senedd petition will be launched at an online public meeting broadcast live from the People’s Assembly Wales Facebook page at 7pm on Wednesday, 9th December.
Speakers will include Ellie Harwood (Child Poverty Action Group), Dr Steffan Evans (Bevan Foundation), Mairead Canavan (National Education Union), Frances Curran (Former MSP for Scottish Socialist Party), Allison Hulmes (British Association of Social Workers Cymru), Donna Ali (The Campbell Network), Sue Leader (Unite Community) and Adam Johannes (Cardiff People’s Assembly)
