Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed the details of the additional funding for state Jewish schools to provide Kosher free school meals for Key Stage 2 pupils (children aged 7 to 11).

Schools offering Kosher lunches will be eligible for almost one third extra funding per meal under the Mayor’s offer – £3.50 per meal compared to £2.65 per meal – in recognition of Kosher catering being more expensive.

The funding was secured following confirmation that Mayor Khan’s £5million contingency fund for rolling out his Key Stage 2 free school meals policy would be available for children who have dietary requirements linked to their religion or belief, as well as children with special education needs and disabilities.

The announcement comes after discussions between cross-party representatives of Barnet Council – under its first Labour majority administration ever – and Mayor Khan’s team.

Labour councillors are now keen to lobby the Government on their funding for Key Stage 1 school meals, which currently stands at £2.41 per meal with no recognition of the additional costs for Kosher meals.

Barnet Labour Councillor Anne Clarke, who is also GLA member for Barnet and Camden said: “I know how worried many of our Jewish schools have been and we are delighted that this progress has been made. There remain outstanding issues around ensuring that Kosher meals can be delivered in a sustainable way, and we will continue to work on those.

“This result shows what can happen when a Labour Mayor and a Labour borough collaborate, delivering for London’s Jewish community.

“I want to thank the leadership of Barnet’s Jewish schools, the London Jewish Forum and the cross-party group of councillors who have been working on this issue, and I look forward to further discussions on how we can continue to support them.”