Campaign Wins

2021 Scottish Parliament Election

The Committee wrote to all candidates asking for candidates to pledge their support and outline their position on expanding universal free school meal provision. The Committee also used the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections to build civic support for the campaign and begin to build a supporters’ network.

Support Grows For Campaign During Scottish Parliament Elections

Who pledged support to the campaign during the 2021 SP elections?

• All Scottish Green MSPs and candidates

• Majority of Scottish Labour MSPs and candidates

• The Poverty Alliance

• The Trussell Trust

• Child Poverty Action Scotland (CPAG)

• Nourish Scotland

• One Parent Families Scotland

• The Children’s Parliament

• The Scottish Women’s Convention

• All the STUC affiliated Trade Unions

SNP Commit To Expanding Universal Free School Meals To All Primary Pupils If Re-elected

The lobbying of the STUC Women’s Committee also helped to put pressure on the Scottish Government to expand existing provision. Our lobbying and campaign influenced the SNP to commit to expanding universal free school meal provision to all primary pupils if they were to be elected.

Scottish Government Announce Free School Meal Expansion for All Primary Pupils

Following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, the Scottish Government announced a commitment of a phased expansion of universal free school meals to all pupils in primary schools. The Scottish Government committed to a target date of delivering a full roll of universal free school meal expansion by August 2022. However, that target has been missed. The Scottish Government have said they will deliver this by the end of the parliamentary term.

2022 Scottish Local Government Elections

Candidates were asked if they support the overall campaign policy demand to expand universal free school meals to all; and if they were committed to maximising resources to either protect and/or enhance provisions that seek to tackle hunger over the holidays if elected/re-elected.

Local Political Support Grows for Universal Free School Meals Expansion in Secondary and Protecting Holiday Hunger Provisions.

Scottish Greens pledge to support and expand the provision of universal free school meals to all, including secondary.

Scottish Labour support the provision of expanding to all but call for additional funding for this to be implemented.

SNP Commit to Trailing Free Breakfasts for Secondary School Pupils If Elected to Local Government.

Local support for campaign across local political parties and areas.

The STUC Women’s Committee mapping during the local government elections revealed that there was widespread support for the expansion of universal free school meals.

Trade Union Support

Tackling Food Poverty and Expanding School Meals Features at Scotland’s Cost of Living Summit

Support for universal free school meals for all featured strongly at the STUC/Poverty Alliance Cost of Living Summit and gained the support of unions/organisations present. It was agreed that this should be a key policy demand as part of the STUC/Poverty Alliance broader range of actions to address the impacts of the COL.

The Campaign and policy aim to expand universal free school meals to all was embedded into the STUC Scotland Demands Better’ campaign.

The campaign outlines the ‘People’s Plan for Action’ demanding nine actions from the Scottish Government to alleviate the crisis, one of which is our campaign ask to expand universal free school meals to all children and young people.

Motion to back universal free school meals and submitted to 2022 SNP Conference

Submitted by Dundee City Council, a motion to SNP 2022 Conference was supporter which re-stated the SNP position to roll out universal school meals to all primary and work with councils to implement this quickly.

Good Food Nation Bill

In June 2022, the Committee worked with Monica Lennon MSP to put forward amendments to the ‘Good Food Nation’ Bill. The Committee campaigned to embed the inclusion of universal school meals into law through the roots of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Bill and as part of the Scottish Governments aspiration of becoming a ‘Good Food Nation’. Our amendments also encompassed the rights of young people to food and the voices of young people. The amendments drafted as part of our campaign in the name of Monica Lennon MSP called for the bill to be amended to include:

• That Scottish Ministers must have regard to the importance of communicating in a way that is effective in engaging children and young people.

• Ensuring the fulfilment of all children and young people’s right to high-quality, nutritious food as set out in Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• The provision of universal free school meals to all children and young people attending local authority nurseries or schools which— (a) consist of high-quality ingredients, (b) are nutritious, (c) are fully inclusive of all dietary needs arising from health, religious or cultural grounds, (d) are procured sustainably, and (e) meet any minimum standard set out in guidance by the Scottish Ministers.

• How the Scottish Ministers intend to ensure— (a) high uptake of universal free school meals, including how they will ensure this is inclusive of all children and young people and free of stigma, (b) the fulfilment of children and young people’s right to high-quality, nutritious food during periods that their school or nursery is on holiday, and (c) the views of children and young people are taken into account, particularly in relation to— (i) the design of school meal menus, (ii) how a universal system of free school meals should operate, and (iii) how uptake of free school meals can be encouraged.

• How the relevant authority intends to ensure— (a) the provision of universal free school meals for all children and young people, (b) high uptake of universal free school meals, including how it will ensure this is inclusive of all children and young people and free of stigma, and (c) the fulfilment of children and young people’s right to high-quality, nutritious food during periods that their school or nursery is on holiday

• That the GFNB should include reducing child poverty

What amendments were supporters?

• That the GFNB should include reducing child poverty

• That Scottish Ministers should engage with young people.

Meeting secured with Mairi Gougeon, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism.

Our lobbying to embed a commitment to expand universal free school meal to all led to a meeting with Mairi Gougeon, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism in June 2022.

Whilst enshrining universal free school meals for all into law as part of the GFNB was not secured, the Committee received reassurances from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism that this issue would be looked at as part of the Human Rights Bill. More, the Committee successfully won the argument on the beneficiaries of universal free school meal expansion to all, something that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs was sympathetic too.

Policy Development Wins

1.    Rolling our universal free school meals to all primary 1 – 3 pupils.

 2.    Further rolling our universal free school meals to all primary 1 – 5 pupils.

 3.    Committing to expanding universal free school meals to all primary pupils by the end of the parliamentary session.

Recent campaigning pressure from the STUC Women’s Committee and supporters urging the Scottish Government to (a) accelerate the promised expansion of access to universal free school meals for primary pupils (b) commit to protecting and funding holiday hunger provision (c) and placing additional pressure to expand to universal free secondary school has led to a commitment by the Scottish Government to:

1.     Revise the existing eligibility criteria of free school meal provision for primary 6/7 to include families who are eligible for the child payment. This will begin in April 2023 until a full expansion to all primary 6/7 pupils.

 2.      Reassure and re-commit the Government’s intention to delivering universal free school meals to all primary school pupils.

 3.     Developing a pilot of secondary school universal free school meals (details unknown).

 4.     Continuing funding school meal holiday provision. The draft 2023/24 Scottish Budget set out a commitment of an investment of £22 million towards holiday school meal provision.

 Investment for kitchen capacity

To overcome one of the ‘barriers’ outlined by the Scottish Government of delivering school meals to all. The Scottish Government have put in writing – following pressure - to the STUC Women’s Committee that:

·        £30 million this year and £80 million next year has been invested in to tackle the major barrier to universal free school meal expansion and the lack of capacity in many school kitchens.

Parliamentary Questions Secured

Question reference: S6W-14332

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour

Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 February 2023

“To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to maintain and expand access to free meals for children and adults, in light of reports of services being at risk due to funding pressures affecting local authorities and charities.”

Date lodged, Thursday, 16 March, 2023

Question reference: S6O-02017

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour

Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 March 2023

“To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with its tackling child poverty delivery plan, including in relation to expanding free school meals provision.”

Motions Submitted

Date lodged: Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Motion reference: S6M-08117

Submitted by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour

“That the Parliament recognises International School Meals Day (ISMD) 2023, taking place on 9 March, which is a campaign managed and funded by Children in Scotland and the Scottish Government; notes that ISMD aims to encourage children and young people around the world, with support from their teachers, yo connect and talk to each other about the food they eat and the role it plays in their lives; understands that this year is the 11th ISMD and the theme for 2023 is “Our changing food - methods, menus and meals”; believes that the cost of living crisis has pushed some families to have to choose between food and other necessities, and that the crisis is detrimental to the health, wellbeing and education of children across Scotland; welcomes to Scottish Government’s commitment to stigma-free, universal free school meals; commends the Scottish Trades Union Congress Women’s Committee for its Food for Thought campaign, supported by the Sunday Mail and a wide range of anti-poverty and children and young people’s organisations; considers that access to universal free school meals should be available to all primary and secondary pupils, and calls on the Scottish Government to urgently accelerate the expansion of universal free school meals to pupils in P6 and P7 and those in secondary school.

Supported by: Jackie Baillie, Colin Beattie, Sarah Boyack, Miles Briggs, Foysol Choudhury, Katy Clark, Richard Leonard, Liam McArthur, Carol Mochan, Alex Rowley, Paul Sweeney, Mercedes Villalba, Sue Webber, Martin Whitfield, Brian Whittle