The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a £130m emergency scheme to help families with the rising cost of living by ensuring that every primary schoolchild in London will receive free school meals in the next academic year.
The toolkit pulls together practical advice gathered from years of teaching school kitchen teams to cook for more children. Chefs in Schools estimates 90% of pupils will sign up for a free lunch when the policy change is introduced in London later this year.
The guide covers menu planning, auditing, budgeting, recipes and engagement. It’s designed to help kitchen teams prepare for increased demand while keeping quality high.
Danielle Glavin, head of communications for Chefs in Schools, said: “For schools already serving 75-80% of children, the uplift should be manageable, but for schools where demand will double, the challenge to increase capacity will be far greater. This guide has been created to help with the planning and preparation.
“Providing all of London’s primary school children with free school meals will be hugely beneficial for thousands of children & could be the launching pad for this policy nationwide. This move will ensure children have the fuel they need to learn but it will mean extra demands on kitchen teams. Our aim with this guide is to help schools increase capacity and feel confident to face the challenge ahead.”
It’s free to download from the charity’s website: https://chefsinschools.org.uk/universal-free-school-meals-toolbox/.