Dozens of kids rally outside Labour conference with major demand on free school meals

A ten-year-old pupil has told Keir Starmer his free school meals plan is “not enough” as she called for all primary school kids to be eligible for them.

Lily, from Liverpool’s Monksdown primary school, said free lunches are a “need not a want” as she joined dozens of kids at a rally outside Labour ’s annual conference in her home city this morning.

She said “it’s only fair” every child in England gets a free hot dinner when kids get one in London, Wales and Scotland.

The Mirror ’s campaign with the National Education Union (NEU) has long been calling for free school meals for all primary school kids.

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In a partial victory, Mr Starmer earlier this year unveiled plans to extend the lifeline benefit to all kids in families who get Universal Credit in England.

But Lily, who was handing out leaflets to people arriving at the conference, said: “We believe every child should get free school meals, because it's only fair. If London, Wales and Scotland get it, everyone else should get it.”

She said she’s “genuinely annoyed” other kids get free school meals and kids in Liverpool don’t.

“Free school meals are good because it takes stress off parents. So say, for example, you had two kids who like completely different food, it saves making two completely different packed lunches per day,” she said. And it's good for (children’s) health, their energy, and also their mental health.”

Asked what she’d tell the PM, she added: “I'd say thanks for pledging but it isn't enough at this point. Free school meals at this point is getting to a need not a want. It’s that important to us.”

Kayden, 15, who has learning disabilities and is a student at Liverpool’s Bank View school, said he wants free lunches “like London or Wales - it’s not equal”.

His teacher, Jenn Loughlin, who read Kayden’s notes to The Mirror, said: “It’s a nutritiously balanced meal for all. No child should ever go hungry.

“It’s really unfair that children in other cities and other countries get free school meals and we don’t.”

And Zack, 11, from Holy Name school in the city, said: “I want everyone to have a free school meal so they can do well and perform good in schools.”

Anne-Marie Ferrigan, a teacher at Monkdown primary school who leads pupil voice, said the expansion of free school meals to families in receipt of Universal Credit was not enough, saying: “The families who we find are struggling the most, who are using our uniform recycle, our pantry, who we're having to pay electric or gas, are the families who have got two working parents who are above that threshold still.”

Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the NEU, which organised the rally, told The Mirror: “We would still like to see free school meals be universal. There is still a stigma of poverty associated with free school meal access that we want to see done away with.

“Children learn a lot through eating together. And actually, we think the jump is not that great now to ensure that there's universal free school meals in all primary schools.”

He also called for the two-child benefit limit to be scrapped, saying: “If you talk to any teacher at the moment, they will talk to you about the rise in child poverty and the impact that that is absolutely having on the child's ability to access education.”

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