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The council has funded free school meals for all primary schoolchildren since 2014.  The secondary school scheme was rolled out from September 2023 with £722,000 invested into to schools for new equipment to be purchased and installed.

Since its launch last year, nearly one million more free meals were served to secondary pupils who would normally have had to pay for them. Nearly 38,000 pupils in Tower Hamlets’ primary and secondary schools have access to a free school meal – regardless of their family’s income.   

A student from Swanlea School in Whitechapel said: “I think it's a very good thing because everyone's able to afford it. I've met people our age that are struggling a lot because their parents work two jobs each and they're struggling to get by.”

Nearly half of children in Tower Hamlets live below the poverty line - the highest rate in the UK. The scheme provides vital support for families, with an average saving of £550 per year per child.  

Lutfur Rahman, executive mayor of Tower Hamlets, commented: “I am proud to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Tower Hamlets becoming the first local authority in the country to provide universal free school meals to all primary and secondary schools.

“The fact that we have been able to provide nearly a million more free meals to secondary school students since the policy launched ensures that no families that are struggling financially are slipping through the net. I urge other councils to consider rolling out this policy, to ensure no children in England go hungry at lunchtime.”