York’s universal free school meal pilot scheme could expand next year following research into its impact, but questions remain over a future city-wide rollout.
Research into the pilot at Westfield Primary Community School and free breakfasts at Burton Green Primary School showed improvements in attendance and behaviour along with easing costs for families.
York Council education lead Maxine Squire said the take-up of free school dinners had been impressive while children spokesperson Cllr Bob Webb said free breakfasts were showing positive results.
But both faced questions about the future of the scheme including funding a city-wide rollout and potential issues around staffing and facilities as councillors examined the findings of the research.
It comes almost a year after the pilots at Westfield, in Acomb, and Clifton’s Burton Green began in January.
All pupils in years three to six were offered free dinners at Westfield while free breakfasts were made available to all pupils at Burton Green.
The pilots have been supported by £100,000 in council funding, with the pilot costing around £47,600 from January to July.
It is hoped that further funding to expand the scheme will come from donations to the Two Ridings Community Fund’s York Hungry Minds appeal.
The council’s Labour administration has pledged to continue the pilot at the schools for the rest of its term which ends in 2027.
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The scheme remains in its pilot stage after Labour campaigned on universal free school meals for all primary pupils in the 2023 local elections.
A council report stated work is ongoing to explore extending the free breakfast offer to two additional schools next year.
But it added research showed the main concern among parents was how sustainable the programme would be in the long term.
It comes alongside Government plans to pilot free breakfast clubs in 750 ‘early adopter’ primary schools from April ahead of a future nation-wide rollout.
Researchers at the University of York and the University of Leeds have studied the effects of both pilots and presented their findings to councillors on Tuesday, November 5.
They found the school dinner uptake rose from about 60 to 80 per cent a day at Westfield with Burton Green breakfast clubs used by about three fifths of pupils.
Teachers reported children were more focused in lessons and there were also signs behaviour had improved but it was unclear whether the latter was directly linked to the pilots.
Punctuality and attendance was found to have improved at Burton Green since the free breakfast club was launched.
Staff and parents of children at both schools told researchers the pilots had reduced the number of pupils coming to school hungry and had eased financial worries for families.
But some families said they had been unsure about aspects of the scheme including who it was aimed at while researchers also claimed the issue had become politicised.
Councillors on the Children, Culture and Communities Scrutiny Committee also had questions about the future of the scheme following the studies.
Councillors heard kitchens at schools were being taken into account when looking at where to expand the scheme, with Westfield chosen in part because it had recently upgraded its facilities.
It came in response to a question from Cllr Andrew Waller, of the Liberal Democrat opposition, about the implications for facilities and staffing as part of a future roll-out.
Labour’s Cllr Rachel Melly said encouraging parents who could afford it to contribute to the Hungry Minds appeal could help finance expanding the scheme long-term, amid questions over funding.
It would cost an estimated £3 million to roll the scheme out to all of York’s 57 primary schools.
Conservative Committee Chair Cllr Michael Nichols asked how the council was planning for the future of the scheme.
It followed concerns raised by others about parents fearing they may face a financial cliff edge if the scheme was to end.
Others asked about the feasibility of expanding the scheme into secondary schools, pre-schools and nurseries.
Children and Eduction Executive Member Cllr Webb said the Labour administration remained committed to the scheme which was helping to alleviate poverty.
He added he was increasingly coming down on the side of free breakfasts, which suggests the scheme may move more in that direction going forward in line with Government plans.
The executive member said: “It would be fantastic if we could expand this scheme straight to everybody, but it wouldn’t necessarily work in some schools, they wouldn’t be capable of taking it on.
“There’s an attainment gap in York and children who are disadvantaged, we should start by looking at how we support those most in need.
“It terms of what works best, breakfasts or lunches, and value for money, breakfasts seem to be making a huge difference.
“There are worries of a cliff edge and we don’t want to get there.”
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