A collaborative team at the University of Sheffield and University of York and completed an evaluation of City of York Council’s (CYC) Universal Free School Meal (UFSM) pilot.
This policy brief is co written by Y-PERN Policy Fellow Rebecca Kerr and Aniela Wenham, Katherine Smith, John Hudson,
Eloise Tann, Louise Dye & Neil Boyle.
Qualitative and quantitative data indicates a number of positive outcomes associated with the provision of UFSMs at both schools, including enhanced readiness to learn, improved pupil wellbeing, and most notably improved attendance and reduced lateness over the course of the pilot. The importance of universality to the success of the policy is emphasised by both qualitative and quantitative elements of the research.
Read more about the Universal Free School Meal pilot in Rebecca Kerr’s blog Evaluating City of York Council’s Universal Free School Meals
