The Labour Party is under pressure to commit to universal free school meals for primary school children, being embarrassed by devolved administrations in London, Scotland, and Wales who are already doing it.
This brings up the age-old question of universalism versus targeting in social policy. Universalism is obviously more expensive, but targeting is costly, doesn’t actually always work well in reaching the poorest, and can risk creating stigma. Fortunately, in the case of school meals, we can go beyond theoretical debates and draw on evidence both here and abroad to understand the impact of free school meals for all.
First, do universal school meal programs promote better learning? In England, the Government ran a pilot scheme offering universal free school meals in two local authorities – Durham and Newham – back in 2009, leading to “a significant positive impact on attainment for primary school pupils”.
Though expensive, the scheme was cost effective – “the universal entitlement pilot appeared to deliver better value for money for pupils, on average, than highly targeted educational interventions such as Every Child a Reader.” More recently, an evaluation of universal provision in early grades in England shows a reduction in obesity.
