From September, state-funded infant and primary schools in England will have a legal duty to offer free meals at lunchtime to all pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2. Claire Crawford and Ellen Greaves examine the relative costs and benefits of this policy.
Authors
Research Fellow University College London
Claire is a Research Fellow at IFS, working on the determinants and consequences of participation in childcare and education for parents and children.
Research Fellow University of Bristol
Ellen, who was a Senior Research Economist at IFS and is now a Research Fellow, is a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute.
Comment details
- Publisher
- The Conversation
Suggested citation
Crawford, C and Greaves, E. (2014). Is £2.30 enough to cover the cost of a free school meal? [Comment] The Conversation. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/ps230-enough-cover-cost-free-school-meal (accessed: 20 April 2024).
More from IFS
Understand this issue
Raising revenue from closing inheritance tax loopholes
18 April 2024
Sure Start achieved its aims, then we threw it away
15 April 2024
Should we worry about government debt?
11 April 2024
Policy analysis
What you need to know about the new childcare entitlements
28 March 2024
Oil and gas make Scotland’s underlying public finances particularly volatile and uncertain
27 March 2024
Health spending planned to fall in England and Scotland in 2024–25, suggesting a top-up likely
4 March 2024
Academic research
Sustaining behavioural change: Evidence from rural Pakistan
27 January 2023