Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan proposed yesterday (9 January) to provide £140m to continue universal free school meals for state primary school children in the capital for 2024/2025.

The move will extend his £135m programme which is currently helping to deliver meals to up to 287,000 children each day and has funded more than 17 million meals already between September and Christmas.

Mr Khan's proposed extension will help hundreds of thousands of children who don't qualify for Government help receive the meals for another year – saving families up to £1,000 over the two years per child as they struggle with the cost-of-living crisis.

As a result of the Mayor's current funding, this school year is the first time ever that free school meals have been available to all primary-aged pupils in state-funded mainstream schools, special schools and pupil referral units in the capital.

Children in Years 3 to 6 in primary school had previously only received free school meals if they lived in households on universal credit earning less than £7,400 a year – after tax and not including benefits, and regardless of the number of children in the family. 

Chef and Campaigner Jamie Oliver said: "Huge kudos to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, for extending free school meals across London for another academic year. Not only will it help families make ends meet, but evidence proves that children having access to delicious, nutritious food at school is the foundation of their wellbeing and educational success.

"It's more than just nourishing their bodies – it's a fundamental support system that significantly impacts their future. At a time when so many families are struggling financially, supporting free school meals has never been more vital. It's a lifeline for children, providing the nourishment they need to thrive, despite these challenging times."

The announcement comes as new polling from YouGov, commissioned by City Hall, has found that more than a third (35 per cent) of parents or carers of children under 18 are buying less food and essentials, with 41 per cent using less water, energy or fuel to help them manage living costs.

Analysis shows the policy will save families up to £1,000 over two years per child as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit (credit: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan/ YouTube).

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "Delivering free school meals has been one of my proudest moment as Mayor as I have seen the difference it has made to the children receiving them and to their families. I am thrilled to announce my intention to extend this lifeline for families for yet another year.

"I know from personal experience what a difference these meals can make and it's been fantastic to hear from teachers how much better children are performing and also how much parents and their children have benefited, with parents not having to worry about how to provide their children with a healthy, nutritious meal during the school day.

"Sadly Londoners continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis and with the Government failing to step forward to deliver these meals, we have worked hard to find the money to provide this vital funding for the next academic year.

"I will continue to do all I can to help families cope with the cost-of-living crisis as we build a fairer and more prosperous London for all."

Barbara Crowther, Children's Food Campaign Manager at Sustain, said: "This is very happy news to start the new year! A hot nutritious lunch at school is a healthy investment in children's learning and development, and providing food to all pupils equally makes for more inclusive, effective and harmonious classrooms.

"We applaud the Mayor for extending primary meals funding for another academic year, building on the excellent foundations that have been laid by London's primary schools and councils in recent months.

"Whilst this is brilliant news for London's primary schoolchildren and their families, there is still an appalling failure to bring national school meals policy up to date with the realities of 2024. We call on politicians of every colour to step into the policy vacuum and set out plans to expand healthy school food progressively to children of all ages across the UK."

The proposed new funding will see boroughs offered £3 per meal to help to continue to deliver the meals from September 2024.

A report by the Child Poverty Action Group and the National Education Union has shown that providing all children free school meals has a wide range of benefits such as: Improving financial and psychological security for parents, bettering nutrition and school engagement with improved concentration and engagement from pupils, and reduces stigma for children who would ordinarily get means-tested meals.

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