Former Children’s Commissioner wants all primary school pupils to get free meals

She said nutritious hot meals are “genuinely transformative” as they can prevent children from going hungry and help them concentrate in class.

It comes after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan unveiled a £130m emergency scheme, which will come into effect from September, to help struggling households in the capital cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

Funded by additional business rates income, it is estimated the move will help around 270,000 primary school pupils and save families around £440 per child across the year.

Ms Longfield said: “It not only means you're getting a nourishing meal to those children who really need it, but you're also breaking down all the stigma about any free school meals.

“You see the rise in attainment when children have nourishing food, whether that’s breakfast or lunch.

“And when you have children who are coming together in the middle of the day and they’re all having the experience of eating a school meal together and they know that's going to happen every day, you can use that time to build a community.”

She added: “It's absolutely the right policy at the right time and families of primary school-aged kids in London will be delighted.

"There will be a huge weight off their shoulders during the cost-of-living crisis and I'd like to see it rolled out across the whole country.

“There is also a history of governments intervening at times when they want to ensure that children have the nutrition they need. Children used to get bottled milk in the morning in that post-war period.”

Ms Longfield said mayors representing regions in the North should follow in the footsteps of Mr Khan and introduce short-term free school meal schemes and the Government should explore plans for a nationwide rollout.

All primary pupils in England in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 currently receive free meals. Older children from households that claim Universal Credit and earn below £7,400 a year before benefits also qualify.

Government figures show around 1.9m children were entitled to free school meals in England – 22.5 per cent of the student population – in June 2022.

But according to the Food Foundation, an estimated 800,000 children in England are living in poverty but do not qualify.

Introducing free school meals for all pupils would cost the taxpayer £24.2bn over 20 years but also generate a return of £41.3bn, according to a report compiled by PricewaterhouseCooper last year, as more children would excel in school and go on to obtain high-earning jobs and fewer would require NHS treatment for conditions caused by poor nutrition.

Several Tory MPs have criticised Mr Khan’s scheme, claiming it is not targeted at helping the poorest and millions will be spent on providing wealthy families with free food.