Free School Meals: No Island Child Left Behind

The benefits of free school meals for Primary School pupils are many.

Common sense and research shows, well fed children make greater progress in the classroom. Results go up, absence goes down.

The benefits will outweigh costs, as they do in Finland, Estonia and Cuba for example.

A 2022 analysis of UK costs and benefits by Pricewaterhouse Coopers is clear. (Commissioned by Impact on Urban Health.)

Benefits include:
- an increased cost saving to schools, increased lifetime earnings by children when they reach
adulthood, which means a greater tax contribution.
- increased savings on food costs to families and NHS savings, as obesity and ill health decrease.
PwC estimated, the overall wider benefit for society by expanding free school meals between 2025
and 2045 would be a staggering £99.5bn.

In his automated email response, Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely writes, he is: “pushing hard every day to [ensure] .... no one is left behind.”

Between autumn 2018/19 and autumn 2022/23, the number of Isle of Wight children eligible for income-related free school meals increased from 2,452 to 4,008. We need to push harder. Free schools meals for all will help ensure far fewer young children on the Isle of Wight are left behind.

This is why we urge you to sign this petition before the Week of Action 24-30 June.
It is our chance to mobilise the Isle of Wight and dial up pressure on the Government and our MP to pass the Free School Meals for All Bill. You may also wish to sign the national petition at https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-the-week-of-action/?source=emailshare&.
On behalf of all primary children present and future, we thank you very much for reading and signing.