Free school meal applications in Doncaster quadruple

The number of Doncaster children who are eligible for free school meals has rocketed since last year and a victory by England football star Marcus Rashford will help over 1,000 borough kids.
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Figures released by Doncaster Council show the number applying for free schools meals has quadrupled since June 2019.

In 2019, there were 318 applications but this rose to 1,265 in 2020, four months into the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Mayor Ros Jones praised Manchester United striker Rashford who put pressure on the Government to change their policy on free school meals through the six weeks’ holidays.

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The free school meal vouchers were brought in at the start of lockdown as schools closed, but it was due to end before the summer holidays before the government's U-turn.

Concerns have been raised in Doncaster before about holiday hunger and some parents being unable to feed their children adequately over the six-week break.

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But the issue has been largely left to charities and local volunteers to tackle in communities across the borough.

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Rashford himself spoke candidly about his experiences of obtaining free school meals when he was a child in his native Manchester and his charity has fed thousands of children across the country.

In normal circumstances, schools foot the bill for free meals during term time and Government reimburses the costs.

As schools open more widely, Government are expecting schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.

Mayor Jones said: “I, along with many parents and carers across the borough, was pleased to see the Government’s U-turn on the continuation of the free school meals fund over the summer holiday.

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“Many families are already facing difficult times at the moment as the economic and social impact of the pandemic takes hold, but one thing that families should not be dealing with is how they are going to afford to feed their children.

“I applaud Marcus Rashford’s campaign, which was fully backed by the Labour Party, and is a wonderful example of the impact people power can have in holding the Government to account.”

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