Agenda item

To receive the report of Peter Nathan, Director of Education.

Cllr Abdul Abdullahi introduced the item and said that this policy is a step in the right direction especially during these challenging times with the cost-of-living crisis which has impacted many families. Free school meals can save families as much as £450 per child per year, which is a huge support and ensures that no child goes hungry at school. Cllr Abdullahi congratulated the Mayor of London for introducing this policy which is very much welcomed and hoped that it would continue.

Peter Nathan, Director of Education provided further information relating to the introduction of free school meals for all pupils of primary school age which has been introduced by the Mayor of London. This has been introduced for one school year only namely 2023/24 and covers all primary aged children in London although this report considers its impact in Enfield. 

Questions were invited from Members.

In response to a question regarding the funding allocation it was advised that Enfield will receive £5.5m, delivered in tranches throughout the year, to distribute to the borough’s primary school, the first tranche of which has already been paid out to schools. This has been allocated based on census data at the rate of £2.65p per meal per child which is higher than the rate received by schools from the DfE which is currently £2.53.

In respect of logistical concerns about the introduction of this scheme it was confirmed that schools across Enfield have managed the process of a considerable number of extra children having school dinners very well and Headteachers in Enfield seem to have just got on with the job of implementation with relatively little fuss and there has been no come back to the key officer responsible for Enfield.

In response to queries regarding feedback on the scheme a request was sent out by the Director of Education and some detailed responses were provided by 15 schools with further feedback provided at a borough-wide headteacher briefing. All headteachers welcomed the scheme with all schools seeing a welcome uptake in children having a hot meal which was the intention of the Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) scheme. In one school, children having a hot meal doubled from 300 a day to 600, in another the percentage increased from 60% to 90% of pupils per day, and in another it increased from 63% to 81%. It is expected the numbers will rise further with the onset of winter with some children moving away from packed lunches.

Further details were discussed in respect of some of the challenges faced by schools which included some additional cost issues such as needing a lot more cutlery and plates. Most schools have also had to extend their dinner break times to allow for more children. This means for example having three sittings for lunch instead of two with lunch times starting at 11:30am and not finishing until after 1pm, raising concern that some children may not have their first meal of the day until the afternoon. There is also an additional cost implication here too as dinner supervisors are needed to work extra time. At a time when school finances are stretched, this is an additional financial problem for schools not covered by the grant. Further practical issues include inadequate space in dinner halls to accommodate the increase in numbers eating as well as the impact on kitchen staff producing the meals.

In response to a question regarding additional funding for Special Needs Primary Schools who may need to prepare food in a certain way, it was confirmed that the Director of Education would be writing to these schools shortly as there was some additional funding available.

In conclusion it was acknowledged that there are concerns for the future of the scheme as there is no confirmation from the Mayor of London that it will be repeated, and expectations are now raised following this year’s success. If it is to continue, there could be some capital implications in terms of school kitchen development as needed in some schools, therefore the earlier that schools are made aware of the plans for the future, the easier it will be to plan moving forward.

The Chair thanked Officers for a very thorough report.

The Panel AGREEDto note the report.