The commitment was made last year, but has been binned by the First Minister.
John Swinney has dumped the Government’s commitment to universal free school meals for every primary school pupil.
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Betrayal is the only word to describe this reversal and is a continuation of the Scottish Government’s approach in overpromising but failing – time and time again – to deliver."Delivering on the final two years has proven to be problematic, but support for full extension remained.
His Government stated: “Work with COSLA in the coming year to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of universal free school meal provision to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils during 2026, starting with those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment and work with local authorities to ensure that school meals meet the highest standards of nutrition, recognising that this is vital to our children’s effective learning.
His Programme for Government states: “Work towards further expanding free school meals to those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment in Primary 6 and Primary 7, and provide £21.75 million for free school meal alternatives in all school holidays for eligible families."
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