A recent report by Members of Parliament has highlighted the importance of automatically enrolling children from low-income families for free school meals to prevent thousands from going hungry. The education select committee stressed the urgent need for this change, as many eligible pupils are missing out on meals simply because their parents have not signed them up for the scheme. As of June 2024, approximately 2.1 million children were identified as eligible for free school meals in England, constituting nearly a quarter of all pupils. In response, a Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson noted that the government “welcomed” the recommendations and would thoroughly evaluate them.
In England, families can apply for free school meals if they are on universal credit and have a household income below £7,400 per year after tax, in addition to other benefits. Despite these criteria, the education committee received evidence suggesting that one in ten children living in poverty are not receiving the meals they are entitled to. Various factors such as language barriers and administrative difficulties faced by parents were reported as reasons for this issue. Another estimate provided by the think tank Policy in Practice in April 2024 indicated that 471,000 children were unnecessarily missing out on free school meals.
The cross-party education committee proposed amending current rules using the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to eliminate the necessity of manual enrollment. Failing to address this issue, the committee warned, would mean missing a crucial opportunity to provide meals to hungry children in schools. Furthermore, the low uptake of free school meals was highlighted as contributing to hunger among deprived children. Concerns were also raised about the rushed passage of the bill through the House of Commons with limited scrutiny, as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson termed it a “landmark” legislation aimed at ensuring children’s safety.
One of the bill’s key features is the introduction of a unique identifier number for all children, akin to a National Insurance number, for safeguarding purposes. Additionally, proposals for universal free breakfast clubs in primary schools and changes to academy schools’ authorities were included. However, criticisms, particularly regarding academies, were voiced by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who labeled it as educational “vandalism.” The committee’s calls for auto-enrollment for free school meals were supported by school leaders’ union NAHT, emphasizing the importance of unlocking pupil premium funding for eligible students. Overall, campaigners believe automatic enrollment would result in increased funding for schools through pupil premium grants, benefitting students in need
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