Funded by the York Hungry Minds campaign, free school breakfast pilots will be rolled out to invited children at ten schools from the summer term.
York Hungry Minds was created in a bid to address disadvantage and the impact of the cost of living crisis, in response to national evidence suggesting that providing children with healthy, nourishing food can make a significant difference to school attendance, concentration and their physical and mental wellbeing.
Councillor Bob Webb, chair of the York Hungry Minds Steering Group, said: “Being able to offer free school meals to children at ten more primary schools across the city is a fantastic achievement for the York Hungry Minds campaign and for York as a whole.
“Local and national evidence shows the positive impact universal free school meals have on pupils’ attendance and behaviour. We hope that our work and the generous donations of people and organisations across the city will help to ensure that all our children have a great, healthy start to their school lives.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated in whatever way, for supporting this pioneering initiative. The York Hungry Minds campaign really is helping to change children’s lives.”