EEF to evaluate London’s free school meals initiative

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is to commission an independent evaluation of Mayor of London’s free school meals initiative.

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 EEF says that 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.

The EEF is 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.

Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: "Protecting the wellbeing and progress of all children, particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, is of the utmost importance in these tricky times.

"The initiative announced by the Mayor of London is hugely significant for families struggling with poverty and the increasing cost of living.

"It also presents an exciting opportunity for us to explore the wider benefits of universal free school meal provision.

"We look forward to learning more and building our collective understanding through our forthcoming independent evaluation."