Government urged to expand free school meals to help 'under pressure families'

The £470 allocated by the Government to cover the cost of each child’s free school meals (FSM) per year could be extended to ‘thousands of children in need’ if the application process was ‘simplified and made automatic’, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, says.

Automatic enrolment, instead of parents having to formally apply to their local authority or via their child’s academy school could benefit an estimated 11 per cent of eligible school children – equivalent to 215,000 pupils - who have not yet taken up the offer, according to the LGA.

The free school meals scheme is different to Universal Infant Free School Meals, under which all children from Reception to Year 2, inclusive, receive a school dinner automatically at no cost.

The LGA argues that this money would not only help under-pressure families dealing with ‘record food prices and spiralling inflation’ but would also generate ‘tens of millions of pounds’ in vital extra pupil premium funding for schools. Pupil premium funding is allocated based on the number of agreed FSM applications per school.

With a further estimated 800,000 children living in poverty that are not entitled to FSMs because their household income is just above the eligible £7,400 annual income threshold, the LGS is calling on the Government to ‘urgently introduce’ automatic-enrolment and consider extending eligibility for FSMs.

'The Government should see this as an investment in our children’s future'

Councillor Pete Marland, chairman of the LGA’s resources board, said, '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.’