We are pleased to co-author the latest paper from the FixOurFood research consortium. This paper evaluates the implementation of free school meal auto-enrolment, highlighting the potential benefits, conditions for success and support needed to scale this approach.
The free school meal registration problem – project context
An estimated 220,000 entitled children miss out on free school meals because they are not registered, with schools missing out on vital, associated Pupil Premium funding. One of the main reasons families do not sign their children up is that the application process can feel complicated and difficult. Many parents struggle because of language or literacy barriers, or problems getting online.
Auto-enrolment offers a solution to this. Local authorities match benefits and school data to identify and enrol entitled pupils. Families then have the option to opt out if they choose. Our desk research suggests that at least 50 local authorities have now implemented auto-enrolment, with numbers continuing to grow.
FixOurFood is a multi-disciplinary research programme based at the University of York, focused on reshaping the food system in Yorkshire. As part of this work, the free school meal auto-enrolment project was designed to support the development, assessment and wider take-up of auto-enrolment approaches. This work has helped local authorities across England to introduce auto-enrolment, with the broader aim of building momentum for change on a national level. We were proud to support this programme alongside The Food Foundation.
With growing interest but limited research on implementation, this research set out to examine how local authorities could successfully set up auto-enrolment, and whether effective approaches could transfer across contexts.
The approach: action research and building capacity for change
This research drew on interviews with 20 key local authority and national stakeholders in England, alongside in-depth documentary analysis of relevant government documents, to understand what helps or hinders those implementing auto-enrolment.
The project was informed by action research; an approach designed to create practical change. Emerging findings informed the ongoing direction of the work, and this report is one of multiple publications that will be produced from the project. Alongside these research outputs, the programme has also developed resources to support local authorities in implementing auto-enrolment processes.
Our role involved:
- Acting as the primary go-between across a network of over 100 local authority stakeholders; recruiting participants, collecting data, answering queries and connecting council departments facing similar challenges.
- Organising and delivering workshops and webinars, where we brought local authorities together to collectively think through challenges and share learnings.
- Writing and disseminating the FixOurFood toolkit (a live document that we continue to update).
- Providing strategic input on the wider policy context, drawing on strong relationships with the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education and Child Poverty Taskforce.
Key findings and implications for national policy
The research revealed impressive work happening at the local level, but it also made clear the complexity of the task at hand.
- Local authorities spoke positively to the benefits of auto-enrolment, including the increase in number registered and subsequent unlocking of additional Pupil Premium funding. Additionally, they noted how the data matching process also revealed inequities in FSM access, showing how under-registration disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged families in their constituency.
- But the process was not straightforward, implementation approaches varied considerably across councils.
- Success was contingent on place-specific conditions being met: leadership, capacity, funding and data access, leading it to working in some areas but not in others.
But there was consensus that with the right support, these barriers could be overcome. To scale auto-enrolment and reach all eligible children, national support is essential. The research recommends:
- A centralised approach to overcome persistent data sharing barriers
- Interim support for local authorities, such as explicit data sharing agreements.
This report and the broader work of FixOurFood programme brings together evidence from local authorities across the country to inform national policy change. The findings have already contributed to MP briefings and media engagement, including a podcast with the Food Foundation, and are being used to shape advocacy at the national level.
Through our ongoing work with the School Food Review and The Food Foundation, this work has informed discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education and Child Poverty Taskforce. The project’s documentation of what’s happening on the ground has bridged the gap between local delivery and national decision-making, supporting the expansion of auto-enrolment and driving meaningful change towards a fairer food system.
With thanks
It has been a privilege to work on this project, and we’re hugely grateful to our collaborators and co-authors – Maria Bryant, Rob Oxley, Shona Goudie, Bob Doherty and Dr Sundus Mahdi.
We’re also grateful to and in awe of the pioneering councils who made local auto-enrolment a reality, shared learning to shape our national toolkit and rallied behind the call for a national solution.