Council's reminder over free school meals for reception classes

Reception pupils in Denbighshire schools have started to receive universal free school meals since the start of the new term and parents/guardians currently not taking advantage of the scheme are urged to consider doing so. 

Following receipt of £859,000 from Welsh Government to support the roll out of Universal Primary free school meals across Denbighshire, works have taken place to increase the capacity of the authority’s Primary school kitchens. Work commenced before the start of the Summer holidays at 13 sites across the county. 

In December 2021 Welsh Government (WG) announced plans to offer free meals to all Primary school pupils. WG later announced a phased delivery approach to be implemented from 1st September 2022 to September 2024 and reception aged pupils have now started to receive the meals in Denbighshire schools. 

Councillor Gill German, Lead member for Education Children and Families said, “Delivery of Universal Free School Meals to all Primary pupils is a top priority for the Authority. This project has been a significant challenge with tight timescales, and I am delighted to see excellent cross service working by council teams and outstanding support from local suppliers, contractors and Welsh Government to introduce the programme. 

“There are parents and guardians out there that are not taking advantage of the Universal Primary Free School Meals offer and I would encourage everyone to consider whether they would like their child in reception year to receive the offer. There is no application process – it is simply the case of your child letting their class teacher know."

The council says the next phase of the works will focus on ensuring that all Primary schools are able to deliver to Year 1 and 2 by Easter 2023.