Free College Meals for ALL students

The Board of Trustees at Haringey Sixth Form College have approved a proposal for ALL of their students to receive a free college meal from January 2023. 

Haringey Sixth Form College prides itself on supporting its students and families and is stepping up and doing all it can to help during these tough economic times; as they have many students who receive a free college meal allowance, however many don’t due to restrictive eligibility criteria and lack of universal provision.

Russ Lawrance Chief Executive of Haringey Sixth Form Education Trust, is delighted with the decision and has said 

“Rather than waiting on some external policy change the Board of Trustees have taken immediate action to help our students and their families, in a small way to try and combat the surging costs of food and energy. The College is a values driven organisation aiming for excellence in everything they do and this is absolutely the right thing to do, allowing staff and students to concentrate on learning and teaching.”

Lisa Westray Principal added, “It may be a small token of support but at least our families will be sending students back to college in January knowing that this will help them as the cost-of-living crisis worsens, it’s important for our students to know that we do all we can to support them as we are #MoreThanACollege“.

The College invests heavily in the students learning, including outstanding state-of-the-art facilities, learning resources, staffing and pastoral care.

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation said: 

“All children should have an equal chance to thrive and be healthy, no matter where they live or how much their parents earn. By making school meals free for all children the government can deliver on its levelling up promise and help children achieve their true potential. Ensuring children receive a hot, nutritious meal at lunchtime will be a lifeline for many Londoners facing extreme cost-of-living pressures – many of whom are having to spend less on both cooking and eating at home to make ends meet.”

It seems obvious and is the right thing to do and why Haringey Sixth Form College is taking this bold step to prioritise the introduction of free college meals for all of their students – including those who don’t currently qualify is the first step towards encouraging other organisations to follow suit.

This is a further stretch on the college’s budget however Haringey Sixth Form College’s staff and The Board passionately believe that giving all of their students a nutritious hot meal every day, is supporting their health and well-being and is another way of helping them to thrive and exceed in their learning.

Aiming for excellence #TeamHaringey6