Free school meal provision for children during holidays and half terms has been halted by the Welsh Government. The scheme was introduced during the Covid pandemic to address "holiday hunger" and help families struggling during the cost of living crisis.
The Welsh Government has confirmed that the offer ran during May half term for the last time and will not be available for the upcoming long summer holiday or beyond. Under the scheme parents and carers whose children were eligible for free school meals were offered a range of options from vouchers, to food deliveries to money paid direct to them.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Extending free school meals into the holidays was a time-limited crisis intervention in response to the pandemic."
Read more: How the universal free school meal offer works in every part of Wales
The Welsh Government said the summer holiday "Food and Fun" scheme, which it will fund, will run again and will be available in all 22 local authority areas for the first time. Known officially as the School Holiday Enrichment Programme, "Food and Fun" is a school-based education programme that provides food and nutrition education, physical activity, "enrichment sessions" and healthy meals to children during the school summer holidays.
It is delivered through the Welsh Local Government Authority and schools have to have at least of 16% pupils accessing free school meals take up, take over or run a scheme.
“We continue to support families through the cost-of-living crisis and have invested more than £3.3bn in programmes and schemes which put money back into people’s pockets," a Welsh Government spokesperson said.
The Welsh Government has committed to fund SHEP in 2023 with £4.85m allocated in the budget. The WLGA will continue to coordinate the roll-out by working closely with local authorities and partner agencies.
A roll out of free school meals for all primary school children in Wales during term time started at the beginning of this academic year. The Welsh Government intends pupils in every year group in primary schools across the country to get a free school meal every day by 2024
