180,000 children in London are living in poverty but can’t get free school meals because the eligibility criteria is so restrictive and outdated, new analysis from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) reveals.
The charity is urging Government to reform the qualifying criteria and move towards removing means-testing from the dining hall so that more children get the food they need and local families struggling with rising costs get some breathing space. An auto- enrolment system should also be set up immediately so that no child currently entitled falls through the cracks because of paperwork, CPAG says.
Infants are guaranteed a free school meal (FSM) in England but children in Year 3 and above in households on universal credit only qualify if their family’s income is below £7,400 per year (before benefits and after tax) to qualify. This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite inflation. Research shows children’s health[1], attainment[2] and social experiences in the dining hall are improved when free school meals are available to all children. Universal provision also supports home-school relations through the elimination of school dinner debt.[3]
Latest estimates show that in 76% of London constituencies more than a quarter of children are experiencing poverty.
Kate Anstey, Head of Education at Child poverty Action Group, said:
It’s hard to focus on your times tables when you’re hungry at school. But in every corner of London kids are going without the food they need because the qualifying threshold for free school meals is out of date and much too restrictive. In line with its mission to tackle child poverty and improve children’s well-being, the Government must urgently make free school meals available to every child that needs them and work towards removing means-testing entirely from the dining hall. This would take some financial pressure off struggling families and give them peace of mind, while helping to ensure that every child has what they need to make the most of school. We should be giving children the nourishment they need to succeed, not settling for what they can get by on.
Government action on free school meals in England lags far behind other UK nations. In Wales universal provision is now fully rolled out in primary schools and in Scotland universal FSM are offered to all children in the first five years of primary school. In Northern Ireland the eligibility threshold is double the threshold for families in England (eligibility is set at £15,000 in Northern Ireland).
Some areas in England have also expanded provision. Emergency funding provided by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, means all state primary school children in London will receive free school meals until the end of the 2024/25 academic school year. The Mayor of London has also committed to extending the policy beyond this point. Pilots of expanded access are also being established in a number of areas including York and Stockport. This is good news for children in these areas but also establishes a postcode lottery that deepens regional inequalities.
CPAG is urging local leaders to do what they can to expand access to FSM but also to join national calls to make free school meals available to every child that needs them.
