‘How school meals could start to unite a fractured society and combat the far-right’

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I was a teacher, and when I used to teach early years I used to line the children up for lunch. Black and white, Muslim and Jewish. Without prompting, they would line up and hold hands. 

If you ask a group of children in any school in this country to distribute lunch, I guarantee you, they will share whatever food is available equally. Down to the jelly-bean. 

Read the latest news, analysis and commentary on the 2025 Labour party conference in Liverpool here on LabourList.

Our children have the vision of the society that we need to build. One in which every child can flourish. To them it’s instinctive. 

That’s why today, as Labour’s conference delegates arrive at Liverpool’s Albert Dock, they’ll be met by a determined group of children with a message.

Drawn from schools across Liverpool, this inspirational group has been on a mission to secure Free School Meals for every primary school child. They’ve staged letter-writing campaigns and headed to Downing Street to petition successive Prime Ministers. They’ve held rallies, appeared on TV bulletins and seen the heartfelt letters of school children emblazoned on the front page of the Daily Mirror.

And they’ve already seen some success. Earlier this summer the Labour Government decided to extend Free School Meals to more than 500,000 children on Universal Credit. 

Whilst we at the National Education Union, along with campaigners up and down the country, cheered this step, the job is far from done. 

The impact of Free School Meals for All for children’s health and learning should now be well understood by policymakers. But perhaps less often understood are the wider impacts. We see all the time, the cynicism that sets in for voters who never believe means-tested policies could be for their family. 

At best, this breeds mistrust and disengagement, and at its worst, it’s exploited by politicians who would seek to divide us. Black vs white, immigrant vs native-born. 

The solution is simple and there’s not a child in this country who doesn’t instinctively know the right answer. Every child needs to eat. Hungry children can’t think straight and they certainly can’t learn. 

Schools are formative places in our communities. And lunch sits at the centre of every school day as an invitation. We can start to build the society we want right there. A country where every child eats. In a society where we don’t have to scrap and fight to eat, we can start to imagine an order which is just and fair, diverse and open. 

Children tell us the canteen is a place where differences in income, circumstances or parenting are all too obvious. For some this can lead to feelings of shame and isolation. Universalism takes a moment that can induce stigma or division, and turns it into ritual which can be full of joy and fullness. 

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In London, Free School Meals for All is making an impact on children and families already. One study from Nuffield Foundation earlier this year found improvements in diet and educational attainment for London school children. Another independent evaluation reports parents can now spend more money on other healthy activities for their children, like sports clubs to help them stay active.

We know the policy is wildly popular with voters. Our latest polling found 88% of parents/carers outside London wanted the UK Government to extend Free School Meals to all primary school children in England, with two thirds (66%) “strongly” supporting this change. 

There are those on the far-right who seek to use every opportunity to divide us. We don’t have to give in to that. If you’re at the Labour conference today, come down and encourage these inspiring kids. Our children are showing us the way; the question is will we listen. 

Get it in your inbox: the NEU’s new mini-series on why the Labour Government must go further and make Free School Meals available to all: freeschoolmealsforall.org.uk/miniseries Hear from leading voices across trade unions, think-tanks and faith institutions about how policies rooted in dignity and respect for all can help unite a divided country.

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