Six more Cavan schools added to hot meals programme

An additional 29,000 children across 168 schools will have access

Children attending six local primary schools will for the first time receive hot school meals from September.

The half dozen- St Mary's NS, Castletara NS, Corlurgan NS, Greaghgrahan NS, Bailieborough Model NS, and Drumcrave NS- had all been added to the programme, Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, announced this morning.

They are some of 168 additional primary schools approved for the Hot School Meals Programme.

The announcement means almost 2,200 Primary Schools across the country are now eligible to receive Hot School Meals.

An additional 29,000 children across 168 schools will have access to nutritious hot meals for the new school year starting from this September.

This brings the total number of primary school children now eligible to receive a Hot School Meal every day to 345,000.

Announcing the expansion today, Minister Humphreys said: “Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have grown the Hot School Meals Programme from a small pilot of just 30 schools to a nationwide programme which now provides nutritious hot meals in 2,200 primary schools across the country.

“My ambition now is to finish the job as part of this year’s Budget and ensure that every primary school in Ireland is providing hot school meals in 2025.

“I firmly believe the roll-out of hot school meals to every primary school in the country will be one of the lasting legacies of this Government.”

The Department of Social Protection provides the funding to schools for the School Meals Programme, and it is the responsibility of schools to choose their supplier in an open, fair and transparent manner in accordance with national legislation and EU directives on procurement.

The Department of Social Protection will now write to each of the 168 schools to advise them on the next steps in this regard to allow schools time to prepare so that their pupils will be able to avail of Hot School Meals from September 2024.

The news was also welcomed by Fine Gael Senator Joe O'Reilly, who emphasised the sentiment shared by Minister Humphreys, that the aim is to ensure every child has the “best start in life”.

“And we won't stop. I want more schools across Cavan to have the programme extended to them as soon as possible and working with Minister Humphreys, will make that happen.”