Slough Borough Council is ensuring children don’t go hungry over the Easter holidays by issuing free school meal vouchers to those eligible.
Children who receive free school meals or early year’s pupil premium can receive the vouchers. These will be given out via their school or early years setting, which can then claim back the cost from the council.
The vouchers of £15 a week per child will help cover the extra expense of feeding children, who receive free school meals, during the break. They are redeemable in a large variety of supermarkets and small shops including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and McColl’s.
Michael Jarrett, Associate Director, Children and Families, said: “Times are tough right now for families, with many people’s employment hit hard by Covid. This extra support for families has proved invaluable during the winter months and I’m so pleased to see it continued to cover the Easter break.
“The easy to use vouchers are redeemable at so many places around Slough; it’s a really beneficial scheme for eligible families who see increased costs during the school holidays. The council is delighted it can help those most in need.”
The Winter Grant Scheme, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), was originally rolled out to cover the Christmas break and February half term, but recognising that costs spiral for families on low incomes during a break from school, these vouchers help to address that issue.
As well as voucher support, free virtual holiday clubs will also run during the Easter break.
The council is organising a variety of sessions, including healthy food and activities, for children who receive benefits-related free school meals. Eligible children can choose to attend and there will also be paying spaces available for other children to join if they don’t qualify for a free place.
The DfE has provided the grant funding to coordinate the free provision.
Find out more about holiday clubs at www.sloughfamilyservices.org.uk - search Slough HAF Programme.