Scotland and Wales have pledged to deliver free school meals to all primary school children and extend breakfast provision.
In England the threshold to access free school meals is a combined household income of £7,400 before benefits, which according to the Child Poverty Action Group means that just under two in five children living in poverty – around one million children - are not eligible for free school meals.
The same group of children also miss out on holiday support in terms of access to the Government’s Holiday Activities Fund schemes which include a hot lunch, as well as the pupil premium.
The call comes against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, which is affecting both energy and food costs.
Research published by the Food Foundation last month found that there has been a 50 per cent rise in the proportion of households cutting back on food or missing meals altogether in just three months.
Campaigners argue that extending free school meal provision would demonstrate the government’s commitment to its levelling up agenda.
Jo Ralling, from The Food Foundation, said, ‘Government urgently needs to reconsider the threshold used in England for free school meals so more children are protected by this vital safety net. Far too many of our most vulnerable families are not receiving the support they need and the situation is now critical with the current cost of living crisis.’
The letter, signed by school and union leaders and sent to Rishi Sunak and Nadhim Zahawi, said, ‘Every school day we see the benefits free school meals provide to those currently entitled. For many it is the only hot, nutritious meal they have in a day. A quality school meal helps improve children’s concentration and behaviour during lessons. We witness, first-hand, the effect they can have on improving school attendance, on children’s health, and academic performance.
‘However, the intensifying cost of living crisis means many more are now struggling to afford school lunches. We are seeing children falling into school meal debt, and there is a serious threat to take-up of school meals and the viability of the catering service, not to mention risking the health and wellbeing of our pupils. We see the devastating reality of children coming to school unable to afford to buy lunch, because their family circumstances mean they fall outside the restrictive free school meal eligibility criteria.
‘Now is the right moment for the government to commit to an expansion of free school meals, providing a nutritional safety net that supports all children to learn and achieve. The clear solution to ensuring fairness and equity across our schools is to extend universal provision, as Wales and Scotland are now committed to deliver. But as an immediate first step, free school meal eligibility criteria need to be expanded to all families receiving universal credit (or an equivalent benefit).’
Dr Nick Capstick, chair of the School Food Review Board and headteacher at a Wiltshire primary school, said, ‘The ability to thrive and enjoy school should be the fundamental right of every child, but more and more of them are coming to school underfed or undernourished. ‘
He also said that more pupils in his schools were having time away from school because of illness and poor oral hygiene caused by inadequate diet.
‘Schools are increasingly faced with the need to support and often feed young people whose families can no longer afford the right food at home,’ he added. ‘Universal free schools meals is a simple way of eradicating this situation.’
Yesterday, data published by the Office for National Statistics highlighted that food prices for basic supermarket groceries are in some cases rising faster than inflation.
From a basket of 30 basic food items, pasta has increased the most and is up by 50 per cent from a year earlier.
Bread and beef mince rose by 16 per cent and rice 15 per cent.
The ONS compiled the data of everyday groceries sold by supermarkets online in response after anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe highlighted the rising cost of basic supermarket grocery brands.
