Leaked memo shows how coalition government ministers discussed raiding free meals budget
The government was today accused of draining money from schemes aimed at the poorest children to fund their flagship policy of Swedish-style "free" schools.
Headteachers said the coalition's plan to introduce hundreds of the free schools risked depriving money from existing primary and secondaries amid suggestions that Michael Gove, the education secretary, considered taking money from the free school meal programme to fund the schools. On Tuesday Gove is expected to announce the terms of a review of Labour's £55bn Building Schools for the Future programme, with a review group made up of schools, local authorities and construction experts which will report before the comprehensive spending review in the autumn.
A Whitehall source with knowledge of the programme said the review was likely to focus on removing Labour's preconditions for new school buildings, which emphasised that schools in poorer, academically struggling areas received funding ahead of thriving schools, even if their buildings were less decrepit.
