Free lunch bonuses

4th April 2008, 1:00am
Ministers will look into the benefits of offering free school meals to all children. Ed Balls, the Children, Schools and Families Secretary, and Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, are to meet academics from Hull University who have researched the impact of free meals on primary pupils during a three-year experiment in the city. Early results show a positive impact on pupil behaviour and academic performance. A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokeswoman said it was up to local authorities to decide which pupils get free lunches.