Agenda item

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director Families and Communities which presented the annual update on Free School Meals and sought approval to implement a school meals pre-order app for all Secondary Schools in the city.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the progress in Free School Meal provision and actions to continue

increasing uptake;

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

(c)      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.

At this juncture, Councillor Grant advised, for reasons of transparency, that his son was in primary 7 and would be moving up to St Machar Academy, but he did not feel this amounted to an interest which needed to be declared, and advised that he would be remaining in the meeting.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Allard, moved:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      welcomes 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;

(b)      agrees officers' recommendations;

(c)      notes 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)      agrees 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 of 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.

Councillor Grant, seconded by Councillor Blake, moved as an amendment:-

That the Committee:-

(a)      welcomes 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;

(b)      agrees officers' recommendations;

(c)      notes 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';

(d)      agrees that the commitment to implement universal free school meals was a flagship policy of the Scottish Government when it came to power in 2021 and that failure to deliver this in full, during a cost-of-living crisis, would represent a bitter broken promise for struggling Aberdeen families and children in primaries 6 and 7; and

(e)      agrees 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 of Families and Communities 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.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (14) – the Convener; Councillors Allard, Copland, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, Nicoll, Mrs Stewart and Yuill; and Ms Barclay, Ms Munro, Dr Murray, Mr Murray and Mrs Smith; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Blake, Brooks, Grant and McLeod; declined to vote (1) – Mr Haywood.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.