The Shadow Education Minister – Suzy Davies AM – has broadly welcomed the announcement today (April 22) of the scheme to replace the planned, but abandoned, centralised school meal voucher system.
Under the revised scheme, each eligible child will receive the equivalent of £19.50 each week, and the support will be in one of three forms:
the provision of vouchers; the delivery of food items to the families of pupils in receipt of free school meals; or a transfer of funds to the bank accounts of families eligible for free school meals (BACS payments).
Commenting, Mrs Davies said:
“Of course we welcome this revised plan to support to some of the most vulnerable children in Wales during this pandemic and lockdown.
“It essentially represents the variety of options being offered by councils across Wales as it is, but at least we know now how much each council should get and should pass on in terms of value.
“Welsh Conservatives will be scrutinising the delivery of the scheme to ensure that it provides value for money, that the right children receive the right assistance at the right time, and that there is consistency in the quality of the scheme’s provision across all 22 local authorities in Wales.”
To find out how your local council will provide school meals, use the postcode search function at https://gov.wales/free-school-meals-coronavirus-guidance-schools.