A gathering of over 200 coalition members put this issue on the agenda in a week where headlines about child poverty took centre stage.
The Social Workers Union (SWU) was thrilled to be invited to speak at the Free School Meals for All National Tour at Parliament Square on Tuesday July 23rd. This event, organised by the National Education Union (NEU)-powered campaign No Child Left Behind, welcomed 28 MPs from across the political spectrum to join us during a busy sitting day.
Teachers, parents, pupils, trade unions, faith leaders, MPs, professional associations, and charities all gathered to back #FreeSchoolMealsforAll. Our demand is clear: no child should be denied the food they need to learn and thrive at school.
SWU General Secretary John McGowan, who has been a social worker for over 25 years, addressed the crowd in Parliament Square to amplify the call for Free School Meals for All.
What’s the issue?
When children are hungry they can’t learn. It’s that simple.
Right now, Free School Meals for every child stop after year two. Why are children as young as seven denied something so essential to their education?
Free School Meals for All would ensure every child has a hot dinner every day and, during a cost-of-living crisis, ease the pressure on families struggling to make ends meet.
The No Child Left Behind campaign is a movement of educators, parents, doctors, school nurses, councillors, social workers and communities asking the UK Government to follow in the footsteps of Scotland and Wales and extend Free School Meals to every child in primary school in England.
As social workers we see how wide-spread food poverty is. Two-thirds (64%) of social workers who answered the 2022 SWU survey have reported concerns about families being able to provide food for children. In 2023, social workers reported a higher number of referrals from families struggling with food and fuel poverty. According to the Trussell Trust’s 2023 Hunger in the UK report, 14% of all UK adults (or their households) experienced food insecurity in the 12 months to mid-2022, equating to an estimated 11.3 million people. And now, in 2024, the Child Poverty Action Group has pointed out that 900,000 children are living in poverty but don’t quality for free school meals under national policy.
How can I support this campaign?
You can support the No Child Left Behind campaign by using this template to write to your MP and signing the open letter to the Prime Minister.
250+ civil society leaders, groups, and unions – including SWU, the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP), and the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) – and over 90,000 people have already co-signed the No Child Left Behind coalition’s open letter to the Prime Minister.
This coalition has proven that it isn’t going anywhere. Just a few weeks into a new Government and No Child Left Behind is doing everything in its power to spotlight the impact of child poverty on our communities. We’re determined to build a better future for the current generation of children and beyond.
Stay tuned for the next phase of this campaign, including continuing the Free School Meals for All National Tour in autumn.