EastEnders star Michelle Collins will make a plea for the expansion of free school meals at No 10
The soap opera star qualified for free school dinners as a child, but said her single mother often worked three jobs so that 'she and her sister may be spared the resulting stigma her "humiliated" classmates
Michael Collins (
Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
EastEnders star Michelle Collins will deliver a petition to Downing Street today demanding free school meals for all primary school pupils.
The soap opera legend qualified for free school dinners as a child, but her single mother often worked three jobs so she and her sister could avoid the stigma.
Michelle, 60, says all children should get a nutritious meal at school, regardless of background, as she echoes growing calls for the Tories to feed more hungry children.
Pupils living in Universal Credit families are eligible if their parents earn less than £7,400 a year from work.
The Mirror and the National Education Union (NEU) are calling on the government to extend the benefit to all primary school pupils in England, in line with commitments made in Scotland and Wales.
Picture:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)Under current rules, children in England can get free school meals until the end of Year 2, but after that it only applies to households with certain benefits.
This leaves an estimated 800,000 children living in poverty but not entitled to free school meals.
Michelle will join Barnardos activists in delivering a petition calling for change to No10, which has been signed by over 32,000 people.
She said: "As the child of a single mother, my sister and I were entitled to free school meals, but it was a separate queue in the 70s and the children felt humiliated.
"So my mom decided she wasn't going to put us through this, and she managed to scrape together the money. She often had three jobs at the same time. I unfortunately think there's still a stigma around free school meals.
The soap opera star qualified for free school dinners as a child, but said her single mother often worked three jobs so that 'she and her sister may be spared the resulting stigma her "humiliated" classmates
Michael Collins (
Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
EastEnders star Michelle Collins will deliver a petition to Downing Street today demanding free school meals for all primary school pupils.
The soap opera legend qualified for free school dinners as a child, but her single mother often worked three jobs so she and her sister could avoid the stigma.
Michelle, 60, says all children should get a nutritious meal at school, regardless of background, as she echoes growing calls for the Tories to feed more hungry children.
Pupils living in Universal Credit families are eligible if their parents earn less than £7,400 a year from work.
The Mirror and the National Education Union (NEU) are calling on the government to extend the benefit to all primary school pupils in England, in line with commitments made in Scotland and Wales.
Picture:
Getty Images/iStockphoto)Under current rules, children in England can get free school meals until the end of Year 2, but after that it only applies to households with certain benefits.
This leaves an estimated 800,000 children living in poverty but not entitled to free school meals.
Michelle will join Barnardos activists in delivering a petition calling for change to No10, which has been signed by over 32,000 people.
She said: "As the child of a single mother, my sister and I were entitled to free school meals, but it was a separate queue in the 70s and the children felt humiliated.
"So my mom decided she wasn't going to put us through this, and she managed to scrape together the money. She often had three jobs at the same time. I unfortunately think there's still a stigma around free school meals.
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
