Sadiq Khan announced that schools will receive £3.50 per Kosher meal, compared to the standard £2.65 reports David Floyd

The Mayor of London has confirmed that Jewish state schools will receive additional funding to cover the cost of providing Kosher free school meals.

Sadiq Khan announced on Tuesday that schools offering free school lunches to 7-11 year olds will receive £3.50 per meal for providing kosher meals compared to the standard £2.65, in recognition of the additional costs involved. 

This funding is part of the contingency fund announced on July 13th to ensure that the mayor’s Key Stage 2 free school meals policy is available to children with dietary requirements linked to their religion or belief. 

Barnet Labour say that this announcement follows discussions between cross-party representatives of Barnet Council and the mayor’s team. 

Barnet Labour councillor Anne Clarke, who is also the London assembly member for Barnet and Camden said: “I know how worried many of our Jewish schools have been and we are delighted that this progress has been made. There remain outstanding issues around ensuring that Kosher meals can be delivered in a sustainable way, and we will continue to work on those.

“This result shows what can happen when a Labour Mayor and a Labour borough collaborate, delivering for London’s Jewish community.

“I want to thank the leadership of Barnet’s Jewish schools and the London Jewish Forum on this issue, and I look forward to further discussions on how we can continue to support them.”

Responding to the news, a spokesperson for Barnet Council’s Conservative group said: “We welcome any more money to help our schools especially when they’re trying to fulfil the mayor’s policy pledge and ensuring that, as he promised, no child goes hungry. 

“It is however regrettable that it has taken him this long to provide this much-needed detail to schools and parents. It’s further regrettable that there is still no indication of the future of the mayor’s policy: is it a one-year pre-election tactic to win votes or will it be extended into the coming years? Barnet schools and families are desperate for more information.

“Even with this provision by the mayor, it must be noted that the average cost of providing Kosher and Kedassia meals for schools is £5.17 and there’s still a lot more to do to get these meals for the children within the Jewish community. We’re working hard with local schools, parents, and teachers to ensure the schools get the requisite supply.”

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