Blog: We must end school meal debt and hidden hunger in school for good

This year Aberlour Children’s Charity celebrates its 150th anniversary.

In 1875, when Aberlour was established as an orphanage in Moray in the north east of Scotland, our primary purpose included feeding hungry bairns.

It saddens me to see that a century and a half later we are still in the business of feeding hungry bairns.

In recent years, Aberlour has campaigned alongside the Scottish Sun to see an end to school meal debt.

However, despite government action to tackle it, school meal debt continues to be a burden on low income families and their children across Scotland.

We welcomed the introduction of the School Meal Debt Fund by the Scottish Government to write off the debts of struggling families over the last two years.

Alongside this we have also welcomed the extension of free school meal eligibility to all primary school aged children whose families receive the Scottish Child Payment.

So then why are we still seeing the presence of school meal debt creating further financial strain on low income families across the country?

New figures show that since the School Meal Debt Fund helped cancel out nearly £3 million of school meal debt last year, that debt has accumulated again to more than £800k.

What this shows is piecemeal and limited short term actions won’t solve the problem.

We need a real commitment to long term action by making the School Meal Debt Fund permanent until it is no longer needed.

To prevent school meal debt in the first place means increasing free school meal eligibility to all low-income families receiving the Scottish Child Payment.

We know that too many families who are barely able to keep their heads above water are still struggling to feed their children at home, let alone at school.

We continue to see school meal debt building up amongst many families being pulled under by the cost of living.

School meal debt is a symptom of families simply not having enough money to provide for themselves.

That school meal debt even exists should shame us as a society. 

Children have a right to healthy and nutritious food and government must uphold that right by making sure no child goes hungry.

Government must put in place the necessary measures to prevent school meal debt in the first place.

By providing free school meals for all low income working families and their children – in both primary and secondary school – government can prevent school meal debt and tackle hidden school hunger.

But government must also make sure families have the means to provide for themselves by coordinated and targeted support for those most families most in need.

At the same time, it must create sustainable routes out of poverty for those families where there are none.

But this is not just an issue for the current Scottish Government.

Next year there will be elections to the Scottish Parliament and we will have a new government, perhaps made up of more than one political party.

The next Scottish Parliament must be the parliament where we prioritise ending child poverty above all else.

Scotland must move from managing poverty to preventing it.

At Aberlour, our children, young people and families are clear that they want our politicians to prioritise ending poverty. 

One of the first and most immediate actions government can take to help struggling families facing financial hardship is to end school meal debt.

Therefore, we need to see cross party support to achieve this.

That is why at Aberlour we urging people to write to their MSP to support our campaign to see an end to school meal debt.

We all must do what we can to make Scotland a country where no child ever goes hungry and no child is burdened with debt ever again.

That must also mean that those with influence and power to make the changes needed must step up and take the steps necessary to make that happen.

In this significant year for Aberlour it is important we look back over the past 150 years to see how life has changed for Scotland’s children.

I ask myself have things got better?

When I see children going hungry at home and in school in 2025 I think the answer to that question is no – not for our most disadvantaged children. 

At Aberlour our message is loud and clear.

Scotland must no longer be a country where our bairns go hungry.

So let’s end school meal debt and hidden school hunger for good.

SallyAnn Kelly OBE

CEO of Aberlour Children's Charity

This article was written for The Scottish Sun and published on 2nd September 2025.