The Welsh Government’s universal free school meals policy, far from helping the most vulnerable, has unintentionally made life harder for them. For some of Monmouthshire’s poorest pupils, a school lunch was already free - and often their only hot meal of the day. Now, those same children are receiving smaller portions and lower-quality food because Welsh Government is underfunding the policy forcing councils to cut costs.

Before 2022, free school meals were targeted at families who needed them most. Today, every primary school pupil gets a free lunch, regardless of household income. While ‘free’ sounds appealing, nothing is truly free - it comes at a cost to taxpayers and more importantly, to quality. Welsh Government funding does not cover the full expense of universal provision, forcing local authorities to cut corners. In Monmouthshire, the Labour-led Cabinet has overseen the removal of mid-week roast dinner favourites roast beef and turkey from menus and replaced them with cheap sausages. Parents report children coming home hungry and older pupils in Years 5 and 6 complain that portions are far too small because they’re receiving the same size meals as four and five year olds.

For many children, an inadequate lunch might be offset by a cooked evening meal at home. But for the poorest and most vulnerable pupils - those who always relied on a decent school lunch as their main meal - the consequences are serious. The policy, sold as an anti-poverty measure, has created a system where everyone gets the same, equally poor service. Instead of lifting standards for disadvantaged pupils, it has dragged them down.

There is a better way. Many parents would gladly contribute a small amount toward school meals if it guaranteed quality and sufficient portions. Feeding a child is a parental responsibility, not the responsibility of the state. Universal free school meals may sound progressive, but in practice, they dilute resources and harm the very poorest children that government should be helping to protect.

If the goal is to fight poverty, then funding should be targeted where it matters most - toward children who genuinely need support. We want a society where there’s equality of opportunity – where children who may not get a decent meal at home can have one for free at school. This policy delivers equity of outcome where all pupils receive a cheap basic meal, which fails to protect the poorest children in our county. The Welsh Government need to revisit it.