Strong support for extended free school meals shown

Charity the Food Foundation and The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) food club have been consulting families outside of the capital to find out their views on free school meal eligibility.

A survey of nearly 3,000 of TBBT’s food club members, who have signed up to have access to low cost weekly shopping bags, was conducted with data analysed by Dr Megan Blake from the University of Sheffield. 

The study found that of the households that didn’t have access to free school meals, 16% had to send their child to school without lunch some days because they couldn’t afford school meals or packed lunches, with an additional 42% worried this would happen in the future.
 
Thirty-two per cent said their child ate a smaller lunch at school some days because they cannot afford school meals or packed lunches.
 
Thirty-one per cent said their child eats a less healthy lunch at school some days because they cannot afford school meals or packed lunches. 

And 85% wanted their child to receive free school meals.

Emergency measures were introduced in February 2023 by the Mayor of London so that all state primary school children in London had access to free school meals to support families through the ongoing cost of living crisis. This measure was initially put in place for a year. Earlier this month it was announced the policy would be extended for a second year. 

Whilst the extension is welcome support for families in London, outside of London, only children from households with an income below £7,400 a year (after tax, before benefits) are eligible. This threshold has not increased since 2018, despite the cost of living crisis and high inflation rates. There are 900,000 children living in poverty in England who are missing out on national eligibility for Free School Meals due to the strict threshold set by government. 

The Food Foundation is calling on politicians from all parties to extend access to Free School Meals to all school children, with the first step being to immediately target children from families receiving Universal Credit. 

Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager, The Food Foundation, said, “Lack of action by national policy makers to extend eligibility criteria for school lunches is unfair and will only serve to exacerbate regional inequalities, with schoolchildren outside of London not having access to the same benefits and life chances.  

"There are hundreds of thousands of children outside the capital who are living below the poverty line but don’t qualify for a nutritious school lunch. As we enter an election year, policymakers across the board should commit to ensuring no child in the England is left to go hungry at lunchtime.”