Calls for auto-enrolment of free school meals

A new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by The Nuffield Foundation, shows significant variation in how free school meals (FSM) are accessed across schools and local authorities in England. This means there are differences in who is identified as ‘disadvantaged’ and therefore who accesses free school meals and other associated benefits to which they are entitled.

The report calls on the government to eliminate these inequalities by introducing a national auto-enrolment scheme, meaning that all eligible families would automatically be registered by the government for FSM (unless they opt out).

The report finds that where a child lives or goes to school determines how easy or hard it is to register for FSM – Depending on which school and local authority (LA) a child is in, different requirements are put on parents to register. For example, in some LAs parents are required to make their own application while facing significant barriers and if found ineligible at the time must reapply when circumstances change. Other LAs collect information for all parents and periodically check eligibility for those not already registered so they can be signed up as soon as they become entitled. These differences in registration practices are important because they are likely to lead to inequalities in accessing FSM.

The report finds that vulnerable families, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’, for example, asylum seeking families, face multiple barriers in registering for FSM. Despite increased efforts to maximise registration, issues around language barriers, knowledge and understanding, and digital access are preventing the FSM benefits reaching children that need them. LAs have described how stigma also continues to prevent families from applying for the FSM to which they are entitled.

The most inclusive approach is in LAs that are using local auto-enrolment to proactively identify entitled children without relying on parents sharing details or making an application. Where local auto-enrolment has been implemented by the LA, some have discovered large numbers of previously unregistered children.

The report says that the government must use the opportunity of the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill to create new legislation that enables an auto-enrolment system for families, including for FEYM, ensuring they have access to the support they are entitled to.