Moray Council making progress is providing free school meals for all primary kids

Progress is being made delivering free school meals to primary kids.

Moray Council has provided an update on the ongoing work to support the Scottish Government’s plans for the phased roll-out of universal Free School Meals (FSM) for all primary school children.

The update, presented to the education, children’s and leisure services committee today (May 13), outlines the progress made so far and the next steps to continue expanding provision.

Since 2021, the local authority has successfully delivered the first three phases of the national programme, including providing holiday meal support for eligible children, and expanding universal FSM to P4 and P5 pupils. Currently, around 68 per cent of eligible P4-P5 pupils in Moray are accessing free school meals. To support this expansion, kitchen and dining capacity improvements have been made at Linkwood Primary, Applegrove Primary, Bishopmill Primary, Milne’s Primary, and New Elgin Primary Schools.

Moray received £598,000 in capital funding from the Scottish Government in 2022/23 to prepare for the next phase, including the planned inclusion of P6 and P7 in the scheme. More recently, additional funding of £19,142 and £92,000 was allocated in 2024 to support the roll-out of free meals to P6 and P7 children receiving the Scottish Child Payment (SCP), which became available from 3 March 2025. As of April 2025, around 70 pupils were benefitting from this provision, out of an estimated 360 eligible across Moray.

Although work is progressing, the Scottish Government has announced a delay to the full universal FSM roll-out for P6 and P7 pupils due to wider financial pressures nationally. The council has outlined plans for further improvements to school kitchens and dining facilities to meet future demand, with major works expected to be completed by summer 2026.

While the planned works will significantly increase capacity, further investment from the Scottish Government will be needed to fully support the complete roll-out of universal free school meals to all primary pupils.

Education committee chairwoman Councillor Kathleen Robertson, said: “Providing free school meals is a key part of supporting the health, wellbeing and learning of our children.

“We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made so far in expanding free meal provision across Moray’s primary schools. While there is still more to do to fully deliver universal free school meals for all primary pupils, we’re well prepared for the next steps and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to secure the investment needed.

“We remain committed to making sure every child has access to a healthy meal at school, helping them to thrive both in and out of the classroom.”