School meals provided in Jersey by September 2024
PA MediaPlans to provide meals at all primary schools in Jersey by September 2024 have been announced.
£1.6m in additional funding has been pledged by the government to support the rollout.
Ministers said new staff would need to be recruited and trained, and new facilities built, to enable the programme.
Meals have been served in five schools since 2019 as part of a pilot programme with local charity, Caring Cooks.
At Janvrin, St Luke's, Samarés St Peter and St Martin, some parents pay £2.50 for the main meal and a dessert, with others receiving meals free depending on family circumstances.
The scheme was designed to support parents who may struggle to provide packed lunches that meet nutritional guidelines, to support children's health and wellbeing, and to reduce their risks of becoming obese or developing certain illnesses.
Schools are now being prioritised based on the level of need in the school, the time needed to construct a servery, and to ensure that staff are available and trained to serve hot meals.
From September 2023 meals will be available at three more schools; Springfield, Grands Vaux and Plat Douet.
A further five schools are expected to be added to the programme by April 2024.
Connétable Richard Vibert, assistant minister for children and education, said: "We know that more and more families are struggling to provide healthy lunchbox meals on a regular basis".
He added that there was "still a huge amount of work to do" to "achieve the ambition of having hot school meals available to all children".
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