Eligible children entitled to summer free school meals

Free school meals will be provided to all children who qualify over the summer period in a bid to tackle holiday hunger.

As one of the only local authorities in Scotland that provided universal weekly free school meals to around 18,000 children and young people, including all P1 – 3, we had already made the decision to provide a new offer over the summer holidays to those most vulnerable before the welcome announcement by the Scottish Government today.

Around 8,000 children who are eligible will receive a weekly £15 voucher to cover lunch costs over this coming summer holiday period until the start of the new school term.

The provision for universal entitlement for children in P1-3 will finish at the end of the school term on 24 June.

Convener of Education and Families, Councillor Frank McNally, said, “No child should have to experience hunger and as a council, we are committed to providing real support to families in a drive to eradicate child poverty. There are too many families in our community who are feeling the detrimental impact of food poverty and this new unprecedented offer over the holiday period is focused on those in the most need.

“We believe this comprehensive approach through the provision of vouchers which are redeemed at local shops in our towns and villages has greatly assisted families and has been widely welcomed.

“In addition, later this week we will be announcing details of nine summer hubs that will provide support for children of key workers and vulnerable families. To be clear, there are people in our communities who need our support and we will continue to work with our partners to help ensure they receive it.”

In addition, free packed lunches through our ground-breaking Club 365 programme will continue and can be accessed by eligible children from our planned summer hubs which will be set up for children of key workers and vulnerable families throughout the summer holidays.  There will also be a range of activities programmed, all compliant with social distancing, as we help our communities recover.

Vouchers can be redeemed by being cashed and then spent on food at any shop which has Paypoint, with a list of locations being available at consumer.paypoint.com/Opens new window.

You can contact the council’s Financial Inclusion Team on 01698 332551 or by email Fit@northlan.gov.uk or your local Citizens Advice Bureau www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/

Helping your child make the transition back to school

Transitions

We know that returning to school after a major event may be both exciting and worrying for children and parents.  The current situation means that it is likely that the school day will be different from what children experienced prior to Covid-19.  The staff are working hard to make the transition back to school as smooth as possible and there are also things that parents can do at home too.

How you can help

It is important that children and young people feel safe upon their return to school.  Sometimes picturing and role playing situations helps to make them feel less distant and worrying.  The need for this is likely to be heightened for children who are starting school, or moving to a new school, as being able to picture the environment may be more tricky.  For example you could look at the school building on their website, look through any transition materials sent from the school and perhaps practise the walk to school as part of your daily exercise. Further suggestions can be found by using the links below:-

Starting primary school

Starting high school

Changing school

Managing emotions

Children and young people cope with transitions more easily with a sense of calm.  They are likely to experience a range of big feelings including both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. It is important that they are helped to feel that these emotions are normal and that support is provided to help them manage them.  Talk to your child about any concerns they have and acknowledge that these are normal feelings given the situation. Simply repeating back, “so you feel __________ because of _________” can help them to feel heard and understood.  It can also be useful to find ways to help them to manage the emotions and return to a calm state.  Relaxation can help with this.

Empowering your child

Children and young people tend to feel more in control of situations when they are clear about what they can and can’t do. Helping to prepare for the return to school might give them a sense of control and make it seem more manageable.  For example, let them pick out school uniform. Perhaps make a plan of the morning and what will happen when and what their part is in making it run smoothly. Why not play the game My first day at school with your child on the BBC website.

Reassuring your child

Whilst life may be difficult at the moment, it is important that adults, children and young people feel the situation will improve in the future. Children and young people need to be provided with reassurance and understand that in the longer term things will feel more manageable. For younger children stories can help them to see how things change and get better.  For older children and young people having a goal or special time to look forward to can help. You could talk to them about this and plan what it might be.