Six Wiltshire schools will soon have improved facilities to deliver free school meals following successful bids by Wiltshire Council for government funding.

All schools have been asked to provide Universal Infant Free School Meals for five to seven year olds as part of a government drive to aid learning.

The government recently invited bids for £24.5m worth of additional funding to help schools which were finding it logistically difficult to serve the free meals.

Now six schools in Wiltshire have been told they will receive government funding totalling £526,240 to help build new kitchens, create dining space and provide catering equipment.

Laura Mayes, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Most schools have been providing hot meals since September 2014 but this funding will mean that all schools in Wiltshire will now be providing hot dinners.

"I’m very pleased for the six schools who will receive additional funding as this will make a real difference to them.

“It’s important we continue to support all our schools as they face the challenges of providing hot meals in a variety of environments.”

Out of 160 primary and infant schools in Wiltshire there were three schools which had been unable to serve hot meals and which will now benefit from the funding: Redland Primary School in Chippenham, St Michael’s Primary School in Figheldean and Newton Tony Primary School near Salisbury.

A further three schools - All Cannings Church of England Primary School in Devizes, Brinkworth Earl Danby's Church of England Primary and The New Forest Church of England (VA) Primary School - heard this week they will receive funding to create or improve existing kitchen facilities.