Free meals trial

School meals will be will be free in Scotland’s most deprived areas for a trial period, Scottish Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop has announced.

The £5million scheme will be piloted for six months from October.

Child poverty in Scotland is estimated to affect 23 per cent of children.

Ms Hyslop said: “The pilot itself will bring its own short-term benefits in terms of health and nutrition for some of our poorest children.

“The main aim is for our youngest children to develop a taste for healthy foods and the social skills that come from sitting down to eat with friends every day.”