Calls for automated sign-up system for free school meals

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, has warned that almost a quarter of a million children are missing children out on free school meals due to the lack of an automated sign-up system.

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 LGA 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.

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.