SNP Cabinet Secretary signals Government will not back universal free school meals in secondary schools

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Free school meals will be brought in for all pupils in Scotland’s primary schools, the Deputy First Minister has insisted after Humza Yousaf signalled a u-turn.But Shona Robison also said the Government is considering targeted help for secondary students.She said with a “constrained budget” and “very limited levers”, the Scottish Government has to look at the “targeting of resources”.In an interview with the Record, the new First Minister signalled opposition to rolling out universal free school meals to older pupils.He said: “I’ve got a 14 year old now.

Should people be paying for her free school meals when I earn a First Minster’s salary?“I don’t think that’s the right way to use that money.

I think the better way to use the money is to target it to those that need it absolutely the most.”Lunches are currently free for all pupils up to P5.Robison told BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland: “We need to make sure that in a cost-of-living crisis where families are struggling, that the resources go where they are needed the most.”She was adamant the Scottish Government “won’t row back on a very clear commitment” to provide free school meals for all primary pupils.While she said there “have been delays” with introducing the measure fully, she added: “The timescale is now for 2024, which will enable schools to get the infrastructure like kitchen expansion into place to make that happen.“The point here is we do need to look at where we spend our resources and whether or not they are being spent in the right place and the right way to help those that need the most help.”Pressed on the commitment to pilot free meals for secondary pupils, she added: “That is what we need to look at and consider and that is where the issue of