Bremner & Co, with colleagues from FixOurFood, are accepted for publication in Public Health Nutrition.
We’re excited to share that our work on free school meals auto-enrolment has just been published in the Public Health Nutrition journal!
It’s a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come and how close we are to solving a problem that should never have existed in the first place.
The Problem
Around 200,000 children in England – roughly 11% of those eligible – are not receiving the free school meals they’re entitled to. Not because they don’t need them, but because they haven’t been registered.
Parents are required to “opt in” for free school meal support, but the process can be confusing, time-consuming, and, for some, deeply stigmatising. It also places administrative pressure on schools. This outdated system creates avoidable inequality. It means cash-strapped schools miss out on vital pupil premium funding. It means many children miss out on the chance to eat a nutritious meal.
The Solution
Auto-enrolment offers a simple fix. By using existing government data on school attendance and benefits, eligible children can be identified and enrolled automatically – no forms, no delays.
It’s a practical, proven approach that removes bureaucracy, increases uptake, and ensures children get the meals they’re entitled to. It also brings pupil premium funding into schools. With national coordination, it could reach every child who needs it.
New Evidence, New Opportunities
Our newly published article in Public Health Nutrition provides further evidence that auto-enrolment is not just a good idea – it’s a policy-ready solution.
It shows how auto-enrolment:
- Breaks down administrative and emotional barriers for families
- Improves child nutrition and learning outcomes
- Supports stretched school budgets
- Can be implemented quickly and cheaply using existing government data
It’s no surprise that momentum is building. We are hoping that the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions will soon agree on this long-term national solution.
A Team Effort
This project has been one of the most rewarding to be part of, and we’re so grateful to our collaborators and co-authors:
Maria Bryant, Rob Oxley, Shona Goudie, Bob Doherty, and Dr Sundus Mahdi.
And of course, none of this would be possible without the many pioneering councils who:
- Made local auto-enrolment a reality
- Shared learnings that shaped our national toolkit
- Rallied around the call for a national solution
What’s next?
We’re urging national policymakers to act now. A commitment to auto-enrolment would show real progress in tackling child poverty and improving access to essential support.
The evidence is clear, the local pilots have worked, and the solution is ready to scale. What’s needed now is political will.
If this government is serious about breaking down barriers to opportunity, then ensuring every eligible child receives a free school meal is an important step to take.