Free school meals and discrimination?

In R (GH) v The Mayor of London [2024] EWHC 1305 (Admin), the claimants, Charedi Orthodox children, sought permission to apply for judicial review of the decision of the Mayor of London to extend his Universal Free School Meals scheme for the academic year 2024-2025 but to continue to confine the scheme to state-funded primary schools. They attended Charedi independent schools, and it was argued on their behalf that such schools were key institutions for preserving Charedi culture. Not all Charedi children attended independent schools, but it was claimed that the only option for most Charedi families was to send their children to independent Charedi schools and that to do so, therefore, was not a free choice. In the Charedi community in Stamford Hill, 97.2% of children attended independent schools [3-4]. Continue reading →