Build community support
Invite people in your community to sign the open letter
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This autumn, the campaign for Free School Meals for All is pressing on to win hot, healthy dinners for every child in primary school.
We’re building on the momentum of our latest win when the Government pledged to roll out Free School Meals to 500,000 more children from families on Universal Credit, starting from September 2026.
To do that, we’re ramping up the pressure from multiple directions.
Open letter to the Prime Minister
We’re continuing to build our open letter calling on the Prime Minister to extend Free School Meals to every child in primary school
We presented the open letter with over 22,000 signatures at in September, but we're still not stopping there.
Can your organisation help gather more support for the open letter? No action is too big or too small. You can send an email to your mailing list, put out petition sheets at a local stall or post the petition link on your social media.
Local petitions to the Education Secretary and select MPs
We’re growing local petitions to the Education Secretary and select MPs across Birmingham and Greater Manchester, showing just how much support there is from within their constituencies.
We’ve identified key constituencies in hubs of local activity across the country. These are places where the high demand for Free School Meals, buzz of local campaign activity and MPs with the potential to influence the Prime Minister create unique opportunities to shift the balance.
If your organisation covers areas that include one of the following constituencies, then jump straight to this section to see how you can gather signatures for a letter to your local MP.
On this page we provide resources to gather petition signatures, in person or online.
Visit the ‘Grow the coalition’ page at this link for resources on how to sign up fellow organisations.
1. Share the open letter to the Prime Minister
1. Share the open letter to the Prime Minister
Help us build support for the open letter by inviting community members to sign the open letter alongside the 350+ civil society organisations, public figures and parliamentarians who have already added their name.
This open letter will be delivered to the Prime Minister at the Labour Party Conference this autumn, so we need to get as many signatures as we can to make a big impact.
Whether your organisation is a place of worship, a sports club, a food bank, school or something else, you can spark conversations and collect signatures from people in your community and help grow the call for Free School Meals for All.
Use this toolkit and its resources to encourage others to join the movement by asking them to add their name to our open letter to the Prime Minister.
This page includes resources on how to share the open letter with your community.
Share the open letter in your newsletter or with your mailing list
Share the open letter in your newsletter or with your mailing list
Use and adapt the template email to share the open letter online.
Collect signatures from people in your community for the open letter
Collect signatures from people in your community for the open letter
Download and print out the signature collection sheet below and ask people to sign the open letter.
You can print these sheets and keep them at the entrance of your organisation – whether it's a place of worship, a community food bank or pantry or local sports club.
Once you have a filled petition sheet, scan or take a photo of it and send it to us at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk.
Remember to shred/destroy the print copy once you have sent it to us.
[SHARED] Prime Minister Keir Starmer petition—national.pdf2. Local letters for key MPs
2. Local letters for key MPs
In addition to the Prime Minister, we’ve identified key decision-makers who it will be important to influence.
While we want to get every MP on side, the combination of local activity and demand for Free School Meals, and potential for these MPs to influence a decision makes it especially important that these MPs hear directly from their constituents about Free School Meals for All.
These petitions are also chances to strengthen existing hubs of activity in local areas, with momentum we expect to continue far past the petition hand-in dates.
If your organisation covers any of these constituencies, then you can help by:
Distributing the link to the open letter
Sharing the local open letter in a newsletter or on social media
Downloading and printing signature sheets to gather signatures in-person at a stall, school gates or community event.
See below for relevant links for each MP.
👉 Connor Rand MP—Altrincham and Sale West
👉 Shabana Mahmood MP—Birmingham Ladywood
👉 Jess Phillips MP—Birmingham Yardley
Connor Rand MP—Altrincham and Sale West
Connor Rand MP—Altrincham and Sale West
Connor Rand, as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, is well-placed to push for government policies that expand access to vital services like Free School Meals.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/connor-rand-petition/?source=coalitiontoolkit
If you would like a specific tracked link for your organisation, please contact the team at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk with "Target constituency petition" in the subject line.
📝Share in a newsletter
[Organisation name] is proud to support Free School Meals for every primary school child in England. Because every child should have a hot, nutritious dinner at school so that they can learn and thrive.
A hot school dinner for every child every day would support our children’s health and learning, reduce stigma and give busy families a boost.
We’ve joined the open letter calling on MP Connor Rand to support the call for Free School Meals for All. If you live, work or send your child to school in Altrincham and Sale West, will you add your name too?
Sign the open letter online here.
🔁 Share on social media
In Wales and in London, every child can have a free school dinner, every day. We can do it for children all across England too.
We’re asking Connor Rand MP to back #FreeSchoolMealsForAll for a strong, more equal start for every child. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/connor-rand-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
📝Download and print the localised open letter signature sheet here.
Shabana Mahmood MP—Birmingham Ladywood
Shabana Mahmood MP—Birmingham Ladywood
As a prominent cabinet member, Shabana Mahmood holds significant influence over Government decisions. In a city where half of the children are growing up in poverty, she has the opportunity to champion Free School Meals for All as a crucial step in addressing this crisis.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/shabana-mahmood-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
If you would like a specific tracked link for your organisation, please contact the team at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk with "Target constituency petition" in the subject line.
📝Share in a newsletter
[Organisation name] is proud to support Free School Meals for every primary school child in England. Because every child should have a hot, nutritious dinner at school so that they can learn and thrive.
A hot school dinner for every child every day would support our children’s health and learning, reduce stigma and give busy families a boost.
We’ve joined the open letter calling on MP Shabana Mahmood to support the call for Free School Meals for All. If you live, work or send your child to school in Birmingham Ladywood, will you add your name too?
Sign the open letter online here.
🔁 Share on social media
Extending Free School Meals to every child in primary school would support busy families, and give every child the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.
We’re asking Shabana Mahmood MP to please back #FreeSchoolMealsForAll so every primary school child can have the same chance to learn and grow, together. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/shabana-mahmood-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
📝Download and print the localised open letter signature sheet ⬇️
Jess Phillips MP—Birmingham Yardley
Jess Phillips MP—Birmingham Yardley
Jess Phillips is in a powerful position to drive policy change as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, With half of the children in Birmingham living in poverty, she can advocate for the expansion of Free School Meals to tackle child poverty directly in her constituency.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/jess-phillips-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
If you would like a specific tracked link for your organisation, please contact the team at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk with "Target constituency petition" in the subject line.
📝Share in a newsletter
[Organisation name] is proud to support Free School Meals for every primary school child in England. Because every child should have a hot, nutritious dinner at school so that they can learn and thrive.
A hot school dinner for every child every day would support our children’s health and learning, reduce stigma and give busy families a boost.
We’ve joined the open letter calling on MP Jess Phillips to support the call for Free School Meals for All. If you live, work or send your child to school in Birmingham Yardley, will you add your name too?
Sign the open letter online here.
🔁 Share on social media
In Birmingham, almost half the children live in poverty. Free School Meals for All would be one step to level the playing field.
We’re asking Jess Phillips MP please back #FreeSchoolMealsForAll so every primary school child can have the same chance to learn and grow.
Join me: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/jess-phillips-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
📝Download and print the localised open letter signature sheet ⬇️
Bridget Phillipson MP—Houghton and Sunderland South
Bridget Phillipson MP—Houghton and Sunderland South
As the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson has the authority to implement policies that expand access to Free School Meals for All.
✍️ Direct link:
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bridget-phillipson-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
If you would like a specific tracked link for your organisation, please contact the team at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk with "Target constituency petition" in the subject line.
📝Share in a newsletter
[Organisation name] is proud to support Free School Meals for every primary school child in England. Because every child should have a hot, nutritious dinner at school so that they can learn and thrive.
A hot school dinner for every child every day would support our children’s health and learning, reduce stigma and give busy families a boost.
We’ve joined the open letter calling on MP Bridget Phillipson to support the call for Free School Meals for All. If you live, work or send your child to school in Houghton and Sunderland South, will you add your name too?
Sign the open letter online here.
🔁 Share on social media
No child should miss out on a Free School Meal.
I’m asking my MP Bridget Phillipson to back #FreeSchoolMealsForAll so every primary school child can learn and grow.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bridget-phillipson-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
📝Download and print the localised open letter signature sheet ⬇️
Josh Simons MP—Makerfield
Josh Simons MP—Makerfield
As an influential member of Government, Josh Simons can use his position to advocate for policies that prioritise the needs of families and children in his constituency.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/josh-simons-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
If you would like a specific tracked link for your organisation, please contact the team at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk with "Target constituency petition" in the subject line.
📝Share in a newsletter
[Organisation name] is proud to support Free School Meals for every primary school child in England. Because every child should have a hot, nutritious dinner at school so that they can learn and thrive.
A hot school dinner for every child every day would support our children’s health and learning, reduce stigma and give busy families a boost.
We’ve joined the open letter calling on MP Josh Simons to support the call for Free School Meals for All. If you live, work or send your child to school in Makerfield, will you add your name too?
Sign the open letter online here.
🔁 Share on social media
Free School Meals for every child in primary school would support the health and learning of every child (not to mention giving busy parents and carers a boost!).
We’re asking MP @joshsimonsmp to back #FreeSchoolMealsForAll so every primary school child can learn and grow.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/josh-simons-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
📝Download and print the localised open letter signature sheet ⬇️
Jim McMahon MP—Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Jim McMahon MP—Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
With a third of children in Greater Manchester living in poverty, Jim McMahon MP is one of the Manchester-area MPs facing pressure to stand up for children and families.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/jim-mcmahon-petition?source=coalitiontoolkit
If you would like a specific tracked link for your organisation, please contact the team at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk with "Target constituency petition" in the subject line.
📝Share in a newsletter
[Organisation name] is proud to support Free School Meals for every primary school child in England. Because every child should have a hot, nutritious dinner at school so that they can learn and thrive.
A hot school dinner for every child every day would support our children’s health and learning, reduce stigma and give busy families a boost.
We’ve joined the open letter calling on MP Jim McMahon to support the call for Free School Meals for All. If you live, work or send your child to school in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton, will you add your name too?
Sign the open letter online here.
🔁 Share on social media
Food is an essential for learning. Every child in primary school should be able to have a hot, nutritious school dinner, every day.
I’m asking my MP @JimfromOldham to back #FreeSchoolMealsForAll so no child misses out on the food they need to learn.
📝Download and print the localised open letter signature sheet ⬇️
If your constituency isn't listed but you want to organise a local open letter, contact us at campaigns@nochildleftbehind.org.uk
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