Struggling families should be given cash while schools are shut
Cash payments should be given directly to struggling families whose children rely on free school meals
19/03/2020
News
- John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
Cash payments should be given directly to struggling families whose children rely on free school meals while classrooms across the country are shut down in response to the Coronavirus epidemic, OPFS and child poverty campaigners have said.
Free school meals can save families £20 a week for each child, and can often mean the difference between eating and not.
Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland is leading the calls, with support from organisations including Save the Children, Children in Scotland, Action for Children, Nourish Scotland, OPFS and the EIS teaching union.
Around 240 000 children are already officially recognised as living in poverty in Scotland.
There were nearly 270,00 pupils registered to receive free school meals last year, with a take-up of more than 188,000.