Free school meals for all

Children in Scotland will continue to get free school meals until the end of the school year.

The £5 million pilot scheme providing free, nutritious lunches for all primary one to three pupils was initially due to finish at the end of March.

More than 35,000 pupils are benefiting from the trial which is underway in the Borders, Fife, Glasgow, East Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire.

Ministers are evaluating the scheme to see if it results in improved pupil behaviour and improved attitudes to healthy eating.

If it is found to have benefits the Scottish government has agreed to extend the scheme across Scotland.

Dyslexia summit

Dyslexia should not limit any child’s success, Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said.

He was outlining plans at a dyslexia summit to ensure children with dyslexia are spotted and helped at school.

Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 42, was also present to give his support to the plans.

Dyslexia is associated with difficulties in reading, writing and spelling, and is accompanied by poor working memory, sequencing and organisational problems.

It is estimated that as many as 10 per cent of Scotland’s population are dyslexic to some degree.

Free meals for Scottish children

Free school meals are now on offer for more than 30,000 Scottish children.

Primary children in years one to three will receive a free meal each day until March as part of the £5 million trial project.

Five areas are covered by the pilot: Glasgow, Fife, East Ayrshire, the Borders and West Dunbartonshire.

It is hoped that the scheme will help get children eating more healthily, and the pilot will be closely monitored for signs of changing eating habits at school and at home.

"For too long, Scotland's health has been affected by a legacy of poor diet,” minister for Children and Early Years, Adam Ingram, said.

“This government is determined to change these habits, and we believe strongly that targeting our youngest pupils will bring health benefits for them now and in the future."

Scotland beats England on education

Quality of life for Scotland’s children has been ranked among the lowest in an international league table. Scotland came near the bottom in almost every category, particularly for child poverty.

But in education Scotland fared better. It was ranked eighth out of the 31, with the UK in 11^th place.

Children’s charity Barnardo’s Scotland were behind the report, which compares Scotland with 31 other countries worldwide, and have now called on First Minister Alex Salmond to improve life for Scotland’s children.

The director of Barnardo’s Scotland, Martin Crewe, said: “This report highlights that urgent action needs to be taken to improve the wellbeing of children in Scotland.

“We need long-term investment in children’s futures, particularly in the development of preventative services.

“We need to learn the lessons from the relatively good performance in education and use that to improve outcomes for children in other areas.”

Index of Wellbeing report

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.”