INVERCLYDE Council is to become one of the first local authorities in Scotland to introduce free school meals for all primary pupils.

A unanimous agreement was made at a meeting of the council’s education and communities committee on Tuesday.

Currently, free meals are provided to children in P1 to P5. From August, this will be extended to include pupils up to P7.

It is expected that the policy will cost an additional £177,000 annually, with a further £350,000 one-off investment required in school kitchens to cater for the increased uptake.

Inverclyde has previously implemented and extended free school meal provision ahead of Scottish Government targets.

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The council says its provision has also been ‘more generous’ in the past compared to other local authorities.

Councillor Jim Clocherty, education convenor, said: “This is a significant moment for our families and young people with the council leading the way in introducing universal free school meals for all primary pupils.

“From August this year, every child from P1 through to P7 can access a healthy, nutritious lunch in the comfort of one of our new or refurbished schools without cost to their families.

“We have one of the best education estates in Scotland, if not the UK, and now we’re ensuring the young people who attend them are fuelled in the canteen to help reach their full potential in the classroom.”

The Scottish Government has urged local authorities to prepare for the roll-out of universal free school meals, however no date has been identified for the introduction.