Children across Rugby and Bulkington who are eligible for free school meals will benefit from a national voucher scheme allowing them to continue to access healthy meals whilst they stay at home during the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Schools can now provide every eligible child with a weekly shopping voucher worth £15 to spend at supermarkets while schools are closed due to coronavirus. Schools can also continue to provide meals for collection or delivery themselves, but where this is not possible, the scheme will allow schools to provide vouchers to families electronically, or as a gift card for those without internet access.
The vouchers can be spent on food at a range of shops including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S, with the Department working to get more shops to join the scheme as soon as possible. Parents will receive the voucher through their child’s school, which can then be redeemed online via a code, or sent to their house as a gift card and used at supermarkets across the country.
Commenting on the scheme, local MP Mark Pawsey said:
“I know from speaking to residents that families were concerned that they would struggle to replace the free school meals which their children would normally be entitled to. That’s why I am really pleased that the Government has swiftly brought forward this scheme to ensure that children receive a good meal even whilst schools are closed.”
Mark continued:
“No child should go hungry as a result of the measures introduced to keep people at home, protect the NHS and save lives. That’s why the Government has launched this scheme to make sure children who usually benefit from free school meals still have access to healthy and nutritious meals while they are not attending school.”
Mark concluded:
“I also want to thank the great schools and teachers we have here in Rugby and Bulkington who I know are going above and beyond during these challenging times. They are providing educational work for children to do at home and helping to support key workers by providing school places for their children.”
The full guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools