Councillors approve free school meals scheme

Members of Durham County Council's Cabinet have given formal agreement to the two-year pilot scheme, which was announced by the government earlier this month. Up to 30,000 children in County Durham could benefit from the scheme, which is aimed at improving pupils' health, school performance and behaviour by ensuring they get a nutritious hot meal every day. County Durham is one of only two areas in the country selected by the government to be involved. As well as the expected benefits for pupils, the scheme will also bring financial benefits for parents. A family with two children at primary school who currently pay for school meals will save £17 a week, which would work out at approximately £1,300 over the two year pilot scheme period. Coun Claire Vasey, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People's Services at Durham County Council, said: "This is a major opportunity to improve the health, wellbeing and educational attainment of children across County Durham. School meals are an excellent source of nutrition and by giving every primary school child the chance to have a free meal we are giving every child a better chance to be healthy and get the most out of their time at school." The cost of running the pilot scheme is expected to be around £16 million over the next two academic years, from September 2009 to August 2011. Half of the funding will come from central government while the other half will be split between Durham County Council and NHS County Durham.