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The funding is part of the council’s effort to improve the life chances of young people in the borough. Eating a healthy, nutritious meal supports pupils with their learning and has been shown to improve behaviour and academic achievements.

With nearly half of children in Tower Hamlets going into secondary school with excess weight, the scheme is a positive step towards improving the physical health of young people and promoting a healthier borough. The scheme supports families during the cost of living crisis, providing a saving of £550 per year, per child.

Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “There are a number of financial, health and academic benefits to providing universal free school meals which is why this policy is a priority for the council. It helps mitigate the impacts of household food insecurity and reduces health inequalities, whilst saving families time and money.

“I am delighted that secondary school pupils and their families will now be able to reap the same rewards as our primary school pupils. Thank you to the secondary schools for their support and cooperation in the build-up to the launch of this ground-breaking scheme.” 

The council has funded free school meals for all primary schoolchildren since 2014, and the extension to secondary schools will be rolled out in three phases from September 2023. By April 2024, nearly 38,000 pupils in Tower Hamlets’ primary and secondary schools will have access to a free school meal – regardless of their family’s income.

Around £5.7m was included in the council’s 2023/24 budget to extend universal free school meals funding from all primary to all secondary school pupils.