NEW figures have revealed 120,000 children in the West Midlands are living in poverty but can’t get free school meals.
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is calling on the Government to reform the qualifying criteria so more children get the food they need and local families struggling with rising costs get some breathing space.
The charity says a auto-enrolment system should also be set up immediately so that no child currently entitled falls through the cracks because of paperwork.
Latest estimates show thirty-nine per cent of children in the West Midlands are in poverty.
Children in Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception), Year One and Year Two 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 from the Nuffield Foundation and Lund University shows children’s health, attainment 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 – according to CPAP and NEU.
Kate Anstey, head of education at CPAG, said: “It’s hard to focus on your times tables when you’re hungry at school. But in every corner of the West Midlands kids are going without the food they need because the qualifying threshold for free school meals is out of date and much too restrictive.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. “
CPAG says 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).
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.
