Joanne McCartney, the deputy mayor for children and families, visited Shirley Park Primary School this week to see how the Mayor of London’s universal free school meals programme for the capital’s state primary schools is benefiting children and their families.
Dinner time: Joanne McCartney, the deputy mayor for children and families, joined pupils at Shirley Park Primary this week to sample their school dinners
McCartney, accompanied by Croydon East MP Natasha Irons, was led by a group of pupils for a tour as she heard how the school is incorporating nutritious meals into everyday life. She joined them for a healthy lunch and heard first-hand about what the Mayor’s free school meals programme means to them and their families.
The scheme is saving families more than £500 per child each year, while ensuring every primary school pupil can enjoy a hot, nutritious meal every day.
Last year an independent evaluation by Impact on Urban Health found that free school meals in London significantly improved the lives of children and their families, not only by easing financial pressures, but by improving children’s health and wellbeing, supporting better concentration in lessons and strengthening school communities.
“It was wonderful to meet the pupils and staff at Shirley Park Primary School and see how the Mayor’s unprecedented funding of free school meals for every primary school child in London is helping pupils and families in Croydon,” McCartney said.
Making a meal of it: Joanne McCartney was accompanied by Croydon East MP Natasha Irons (left) on the visit to Shirley Park Primary
“The school is doing fantastic work championing the importance of healthy, nutritious meals and the impact it can have on your everyday life.
“We are proud that the Mayor’s historic funding is improving children’s health, wellbeing and learning, as well as supporting families across the capital, as we build a healthier and fairer London for everyone.”
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Joanne McCartney is the Deputy Mayor of London. The Deputy Mayor of Croydon is Tory Councillor Lynne Hale, who we now pay £44,535.
In October 2022, the Council debated a Labour motion to:
1. Publish a detailed assessment of the issues and costs associated with an extension of Croydon’s Free School meal offer to include all 3 and 4 year olds in maintained nursery and primary schools in the Borough, and to do so by the end of November 2022; and,
2. That the Children and Young People scrutiny committee then considers the Mayor’s assessment at its meeting in January 2023.
Councillor Hale said it would be good to extend the provision of Free School Meals, but that the council did not have a choice about doing it, because of the overspending and over-borrowing of the previous Council administration.
The motion was nevertheless carried, but there was no report to the January meeting; it was one of items that wasn’t scheduled into the work programme but were highlighted as potential items of interest to be scheduled during the year ahead.
It looks like the Tories decided to kick the free school meals can right down the road and do nothing. Did Croydon Labour let them get away with it?
Councillor Amy Foster (Labour, Woodside) currently serves as the Shadow Cabinet Member for Children and Young People in Croydon may have a view. Does anyone know what it may be?