Having raised it in Parliament this week, Jason is pleased that free school meals will now be available to 16-18 year olds in colleges over the summer.
Jason McCartney MP
On this topic, I have two quick questions as co-chair of the all-party group on sixth-form education.
Will 16-to-18 providers be included in the covid catch-up package?
Will sixth-form colleges and other colleges be able to access free school meals for their students throughout the summer?
Nick Gibb MP
As my hon. Friend will know, sixth-form colleges are not included in the catch-up premium.
We are continuing to work with sixth-form colleges and other post-16 institutions to establish the best way to make up the disruption due to covid-19.
On free school meals over the summer, we will provide further details for FE colleges in due course. During term time, FE colleges should continue to provide support to students eligible for free school meals.
We have secured significant additional resources from the Treasury so that every school will have extra funding to respond to this unique challenge.
On 19 June, we announced a £1 billion covid catch-up package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time, including £650 million directly to schools over the 2020-21 academic year.
As my hon. Friend the Member for Bury South intimated, the Education Endowment Foundation will provide evidence-based advice on the most effective approaches to helping children catch up, but the discretion lies at school level, with the teachers and headteachers.
