By Leeza Clark

A FIFE MSP has questioned the worth of a free school meals project being piloted in the region.

Labour Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker cast doubts on plans for the pilot for school children in primaries one to three, suggesting universal free meals may not be the best way of tackling poverty or improving health among young people in Scotland.

Starting this month, the Scottish Government will pilot free school meals in five local authority areas—Fife, the Borders, East Ayrshire, Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire.

The aim of the policy will be to address the gap between the number of children in poverty and those receiving free meals.

It is estimated up to a quarter of pupils in Scotland are entitled to free school meals but only 19% actually take them up.

However, the policy will not include pre-school children and there are fears habits may already be ingrained before children reach primary one, said Ms Baker.

Equally the scheme will see government resources spent providing free meals to pupils in affluent areas rather than spent according to need.

“I believe providing universal free school meals for primary one to three pupils is not the right way to tackle poverty or to improve health among young people in Scotland.

“While we need to look at ways to improve the take-up of free school meals among those entitled, I think it is too simplistic to provide them to every pupil in primaries one to three, regardless of need.

“When Fife Council has a reported education budget deficit of many million pounds, with all Fife schools facing cuts—some up to £100,000—it seems very strange to me for the SNP to be spending money providing free school meals to children from more well-off backgrounds.

“I believe free school meal entitlement should be targeted at pupils that need it most, schools that need it most and areas that need it most,” she said.

The MSP added that Scottish Labour’s policy would extend free school meals to an additional 100,000 of the most deprived children in Scotland, and she thought the SNP should look at this.

“I think the need for other measures, like extended breakfast clubs or free meals during school holidays, is also clear, especially as we approach the October holidays.

“This pilot will do nothing to help pre-school children, a time when children’s habits and tastes are formed, nothing to help children when schools are off on holiday, and nothing to help older deprived children.”