We were delighted to welcome the Deputy Mayor of London, Joanne McCartney who is marking the occasion of reaching the delivery of 100 million free school meals across London by visiting our school. 

Joanne, accompanied by Councillor Linda Bray and Headteacher Humaira Saleem, was particularly interested in how our state of the art net zero carbon kitchen operates. She enjoyed the chance to receive questions from our children, take a lunch with them, have a tour of the school with pupils from year 5 and year 6, as well as meet with the kitchen staff themselves.

 1. Healthy Eating and Learning

• “Having lunch at school means I can try new foods that I never had before.”
  
  

• “When I have a proper meal, I feel more awake in class and can concentrate better.”
  
  

•  “When everyone has eaten, the class feels calmer and we can focus better.”

 2. Fairness and Inclusion

• “It’s nice that everyone gets a meal, no matter what. It makes everyone feel good.”
  
  

• “It feels fair that everyone gets the same chance to eat well.”

 3. Helping Families

• “My mum says it helps our family because she doesn’t have to worry about paying for lunch every day.”
  
  

• “It’s one less thing for my parents to think about in the morning.”
  
  

• “My family can save money and spend it on other things we need.”

🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏼 4. Community and Togetherness

• “We all sit down and eat together.  It makes lunchtime more fun.”
  
  

• “I get to talk to friends from other classes at lunch.” 

🌍 5. Gratitude and Impact

• “I think it’s amazing that London has given 100 million meals.  That is a lot of children helped!”
  
  

• “Thank you for making sure we all have food at school.”

💬 6. The future

• But we’re a bit worried that when we go to secondary school, we won’t have those same healthy options. Some of us see our older brothers and sisters buying chips or energy drinks for lunch, which costs families more money and isn’t as good for their health.
• “Our families say it really helps that we get free meals. It would be great if all older pupils could have the same support.”

• Could the Mayor please help so that older pupils also have access to healthy, affordable meals — maybe even free meals like we do in primary school?”
• (Deputy Mayor Response):
  “That’s such a thoughtful question — and you’re right to care about that. The Mayor’s free school meals have made a huge difference for primary pupils, and we want every young person to have access to healthy, affordable food. Your school is a great example of how healthy eating helps everyone learn and thrive.”