Almost a quarter of a million children are missing out on free
school meals worth nearly £500 per child due to the lack of an
automated sign-up system, councils warn today.
This is money which under-pressure families could otherwise be
spending on other essentials, amidst record food prices and
spiralling inflation.
A further estimated 800,000 children living in poverty are not
entitled to free school meals (FSMs) because their household’s
income is just above the eligible £7,400 annual income threshold,
which has remained unchanged since its introduction in 2018.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils, says
the approximate £470 given by government to cover the cost of
each child’s free school meals (FSMs) per year could be extended
to many more children in need, if the application process was
simplified and made automatic.
The LGA says the process for parents and guardians to sign up
their children for FSMs should be streamlined, to capture those
who already meet the criteria and ensure no child goes without at
least one hot nutritious meal a day. Automatic enrolment, instead
of parents having to formally apply to their local authority or
via their child’s academy school, could benefit the estimated 11
per cent of eligible school children – equivalent to 215,000
pupils - who have not yet taken up the offer.
This in turn would generate tens of millions of pounds in vital
extra pupil premium funding for schools, which is allocated based
on the number of agreed FSM applications per school. This would
also help ensure funding gets to where it is needed, in order to
narrow the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged
backgrounds and their peers.
In addition to tackling food poverty, FSMs have also been linked
to better results in class and improved diet, leading to a
reduction in diet-related health inequalities such as
obesity.
Latest research has found that if eligibility was increased, for
every £1 invested there could be a return of £1.38. This consists
of saving on food costs for families, increased lifetime earnings
due to improved educational attainment, and other savings to
schools and the NHS due to reduced obesity rates.
The LGA is calling for the Government to urgently introduce
automatic-enrolment and consider extending eligibility for FSMs,
to ensure all children in poverty are entitled to at least one
hot meal per day, including a review of the current income
threshold of £7,400 per year.
This needs to be alongside a fair and sufficient mainstream
welfare system, which ensures families have enough income to meet
their essential living costs, in addition to long-term local
welfare funding for councils to provide discretionary support to
those most in need.
Cllr Pete Marland, Chairman of the LGA’s Resources Board, said:
“Free school meals are a vital lifeline for families who are
struggling to make ends meet, just as food prices continue to
rise.
“Food inflation is at its highest for almost half a century and
this is hitting the poorest households hardest. The near-£500
annual saving for a family for each child on free school meals
can make all the difference, now more so than ever before.
“Encouraging those who are eligible to sign up and automating the
process will help relieve this financial burden, freeing up
family budgets and improving the next generation’s health,
education and prospects.
“The Government should see this as an investment in our
children’s future, to help them and their families get through
this cost of living crisis and come out of it stronger, healthier
and more secure”.
Notes to Editors
