We are delighted that we welcomed the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to Newport Primary School in Leyton on 5th September to launch his free school meal programme for primary school children.  

From September, thanks to £135m worth of new funding from the Mayor, primary school children across Waltham Forest and the whole of London will have a hot, nutritious, free school lunch everyday.  

 At the school, Sadiq met staff and pupils to see first hand what a difference free school meals will be making in Waltham Forest.  

 By funding free meals for all primary pupils at state schools, the Mayor is ensuring children in Waltham Forest and across London will enjoy good quality food every school day, saving families hundreds of pounds every year in the process, money that is much needed in the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. In these worrying times, this new scheme will provide reassurance to parents that their children will have a high quality meal every lunchtime. 

 The Mayor’s free school meals programme follows on from Waltham Forest’s own Breakfast for Learning initiative, where £600,000 is being spent from the Household Support Fund to support primary aged children who have been identified as needing breakfasts before school. 

 Waltham Forest Council’s catering service provides millions of healthy and hot school meals across the borough every year, with an exciting varied menu including plant-based meals such as jackfruit jambalaya and chickpea and sweetcorn wraps.  

We are delighted that the Mayor chose Waltham Forest to launch his new scheme and look forward to welcoming him back soon.