Today, Myles Bremner joined 129 signatories, representing charities, councils and academia, in a letter to Schools Minister, Damian Hinds, demanding the automatic enrolment of all eligible children in free school meals. This International School Meals Day, we are confronted with a stark reality: under the Department for Education’s outdated ‘opt-in’ approach, 11% of eligible children are not benefitting from the free school meals scheme. This means up to 250,000 children in England, particularly those from the most deprived households, are missing out on the daily, nutritious meals that they are entitled to. It’s a staggering statistic, one that underscores the urgency of reforming our current opt-in system.
The consequences of under-registration extend beyond missed meals too; they translate into millions of pounds in lost pupil premium funding for schools. This funding, essential for providing additional support to disadvantaged students, remains inaccessible if eligible pupils are not enrolled in the scheme.
Some councils, including Wakefield, Lewisham and Lambeth, have been working hard to pioneer their own ‘opt-out / right to object’ systems. The councils’ efforts have proven to be remarkably effective, resulting in opt-out rates as low as under 1% and more than £4.5 million in extra school funding. In fact, Wakefield alone has registered a further 1,183 children. However, this approach has been resource-intensive and relied on datasets to identify eligible families, before sending them letters to explain the opt-out process. Access to these datasets is patchy too, meaning some families still aren’t being picked up.
Emerging evidence from local authorities implementing auto-enrolment models points to a worrying picture: children from lone parent households, non-English speaking households, and diverse ethnic backgrounds are disproportionately excluded from the free school meals scheme. In Lambeth, the disparity is glaring, with 89% of newly registered children coming from these marginalised groups. As we confront the harsh realities of food insecurity, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, the need for action becomes even more pressing. Free school meals not only provide essential nutrition but also help to address inequities in diet-related health, educational attainment and child wellbeing.
In light of these findings, the urgent need for reform cannot be overstated. We are calling on the government to:
• Commit to introducing a revised Free School Meal registration process so that all children entitled are automatically registered
• In the interim, promote and support local authorities to implement the ‘opt-out/right to object’ FSM model
• Provide datasets to each council to show the current levels of under-registration, by combining relevant DfE and DWP datasets.
So, what can you do to support this vital cause? Share this message on your social media platforms, raise awareness in your community, and lobby your Members of Parliament. Together, we can create a fairer, more equitable system that ensures every child has access to the nutritious meals they need to thrive.
