EEF to commission independent evaluation of Mayor of London's free school meals initiative

Earlier this year, Sadiq Khan announced £130 million of funding to give all primary school children in London access to free school meals in the academic year 2023 – 24.

The emergency provision from the Greater London Authority (GLA) aims to support families struggling as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. The GLA estimates that this initiative will make Free School Meals accessible to an additional 227,000 children across the capital.

The roll-out gives us an important opportunity to generate evidence around the provision of universal free school meals, particularly for older primary school pupils, and at scale.

We’re commissioning an independent evaluation of universal free school meals provision in London to measure its impact on pupil attainment and other outcomes, and in turn, build the evidence base in this area.