This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/7646898.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Early primary 'to get free meals' Free meal plan for Scots pupils
(1 day later)
Infant pupils in Scotland are to get free school meals, the Scottish Government is expected to announce. All pupils will receive free meals in the first three years of primary school, the Scottish Government has announced.
The move follows a year-long £5m pilot scheme in primary schools in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire, East Ayrshire, Fife and the Borders. The service will begin in 2010 after a pilot in several areas, which saw the take-up of meals rise from 53% to 75%.
The government will later announce the results of the initial scheme, which involved 35,000 pupils. Council umbrella group Cosla denied claims from some authorities that services would have to be cut to pay for the move.
It was set up to see if providing a nutritious lunch for all children could improve their diets. Ministers said helping children in their early years was a priority.
Fife Council said uptake of school meals had risen from 46% to 70% during the trial. The Scottish Government said councils would be expected to find the money for the scheme from the funding settlement already agreed.
At the beginning of the scheme, Children's Minister Adam Ingram said he hoped the youngsters would develop a taste for healthier foods and good lifestyle habits. There is no reason why anyone should have to cut anything to fund this Pat Watters President, Cosla class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/7648695.stm">Free meal plans 'will mean cuts' class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/7648238.stm">Putting the 'fun' into school meals
He said he hoped to roll the scheme out to all pupils in the first three years of primary school if the pilot project was a success. Scottish Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the year-long, £5m pilot scheme, involving 35,000 pupils in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire, East Ayrshire, Fife and the Borders, was a success.
Such a move would cost between £30m and £46m a year. The pilot also reported that parents and teachers were positive about the scheme, while some pupils enjoyed trying new foods.
The Scottish trial was being independently reviewed. "This government has made it a priority to help children in their early years and this initiative does just that, providing every child with a free school meal in their first years at primary school," said Ms Hyslop.
If the outcome is positive, the aim is to provide free school meals to all pupils in classes P1 to P3 from August 2010. The Scottish Government has already published guidance to help school catering staff produce healthy meals.
The Scottish Government has also promised to offer free meals to all primary and secondary school pupils with parents or carers in the lowest income brackets. According to Labour, the education conveners of several local authorities - including North Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh and the leader of Inverclyde Council - raised concern over whether they could pay for the service, with some saying they would have to make cuts to fund it.
In England, a pilot scheme for free meals in primary schools is to run in two as-yet unchosen areas, beginning in a year's time. But Cosla president Pat Watters told BBC Scotland there was £40m in the budget to provide free school meals to primaries one, two and three.
As part of the pilot, means testing for free meals will be altered in a third area of England so that more pupils qualify. 'Massive step'
He added: "There is no reason why anyone should have to cut anything to fund this. This is a government funded project."
Labour education spokeswoman Rhona Brankin also raised concerns about the funding, adding: "Local authorities are already struggling to employ newly qualified teachers and reduce class sizes, but some schools can't even afford photocopying."
Liz Smith, of the Scottish Tories, questioned whether a blanket free meals policy would target the right pupils, while the Liberal Democrats' Margaret Smith said ministers had "failed to make the case" that the plan was the best way to tackle poor diets.
But John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said the announcement was "a massive step forward" in the campaign to ensure healthy meals for children, whatever their home circumstances.
"It will help boost children's health, education and wellbeing and provide a really welcome benefit to hard pressed families across Scotland," he said.
A two-year free school meals pilot in primaries is due to start in England next year, while the Welsh Assembly administration said it was currently focussing on improving nutritional standards.