Update from Cllr Paul Wray…
Work is underway and more specific details in this will follow, but below is a general update on the delivery of free school meals.
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Catering Leeds Supplied Schools: Catering Leeds look after more than 185 schools in the city. There is a plan in place to deliver 14,000 meals every day for means tested free school meal children (and families who are highlighted as vulnerable by headteachers).
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Utilising 28 hubs across the city, we have established distribution points for each school to have their allocation collected from these sites or delivered directly where this is proving hard to arrange.
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The provision includes catering for all children who may have a special dietary requirement. To begin with we will be issuing a cold ‘grab bag’ lunch which will be vegetarian, special diet children will receive a meal which excludes all of the 14 main allergens and where necessary, a bespoke meal will be put in place for complex dietary needs.
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Other Party Supplied Schools: The remaining schools in Leeds use either a private catering provider or prepare meals in-house. Staff from our Early Help Hubs are contacting all of these schools to discuss the arrangements they are making for the ongoing provision of free school meals and to offer support as necessary.
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Supermarket Vouchers: The DfE is currently developing a national approach to providing support through supermarket and shop vouchers. We will provide further details shortly.
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If your school is closed and your school catering team cannot provide meals or food parcels, they should offer families of pupils eligible for free school meals an alternative.
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Schools will get a choice of:
➡️ e-vouchers (where available) – which you can email directly to parents
➡️ gift cards – which may be more suitable if parents do not have access to the internet
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Schools should check which pupils are eligible and currently in receipt of free school meals, and vouchers should be made available to the parent or the adult with caring responsibility for that child.
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Children and Families will also be communicating information and local guidance for schools on FSM and ways that they can support families and pupils with access to food in general.