Decision details

(i)       to welcome the progress made in improving uptake in Free School Meals in the city and actions to continue increasing uptake and thanks officers, schools and families for the continued effort;

(ii)       to note the progress in Free School Meal provision and actions to continue increasing uptake;

(iii)      to instruct the Chief Officer Corporate Landlord to progress the implementation of the school meals pre-order app for all Secondary Schools in the city;

(iv)      to instruct the Chief Officer Corporate Landlord to report on the impact of the pre-order app in the next annual update report on Free School Meals;

(v)      to note that officers’ service update, in November 2023, stated that '...no further work on designing and planning solutions for increasing the capacity of school kitchens and dining spaces will be undertaken, until details of any further capital grant and revenue funding from Scottish Government to support the rollout are known and until the required implementation date for the provision of free school meals to Primary 6 and 7 pupils is confirmed'; and

(d)      to agree that it is imperative that this Committee presses the Scottish Government to deliver on making primary school meals universally free and therefore instructs the Executive Director Families and Communities, in consultation with the Convener and Vice Convener of the Education and Children’s Services Committee, to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education to seek an urgent update and confirmation from the Scottish Government on when it plans to implement universal free school meals, up to Primary 7, in full.