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Free meals for Durham primary schools
10 Sep 2009

A new initiative in the north-east of England will see most primary school kids take advantage of free dinners on their lunch-breaks.

Durham county council's 244 schools for four to ten-year-olds are providing food for free in an attempt to reduce obesity and help parents save money.

It is a two-year pilot scheme and the initiative has been backed by former Great Britain middle distance runner Steve Cram, reports the Northern Echo.

Free school dinners have been a topical issue of late with a number of parent groups suggesting that there is a stigma attached to youngsters who do not have to pay for their food.

In order to alleviate this problem and ensure all kids are treated the same when purchasing canteen items, two schools in Wiltshire have given contactless smart cards to pupils courtesy of eMoney network sQuidcard.

Providing this cashless society within the schools means people on free dinners are not made to feel different.