Bremner & Co is really pleased to partner with the FixOurFood Free School Meals (FSM) Auto-enrolment project, which, with the backing of nearly 100 organisations, is calling on the government to use the upcoming Children’s Wellbeing Bill to introduce FSM auto-enrolment nationwide.
An estimated 470,000 children in England are eligible for FSM but missing out due to barriers like complex applications, language or literacy challenges, stigma and low awareness. FSM not only ensures children have access to a hot, nutritious meal – often their only one – but also unlocks vital Pupil Premium funding for schools. Given that free school meals are a statutory scheme, government funding for enrolling these children should already be in place.
Local councils, supported by the FixOurFood project, have introduced FSM auto-enrolment pilots using existing welfare data to sign children up automatically. Early results are promising: in Wakefield alone, 1,183 additional children were registered, generating significant school funding. However, councils face enormous challenges, including legal uncertainty, data-sharing hurdles and overstretched resources.
24 local authorities, as well as representatives from schools, charities and universities, have signed a letter to Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, asking for the automatic enrolment of eligible pupils. Several local authorities have also highlighted the numerous challenges they have faced implementing auto-enrolment processes locally in a series of powerful case studies.
What the FixOurFood partners said:
“Whilst it is heartening to see the impact that our work has had in supporting local authorities to implement auto-enrolment process, data from our evaluation clearly highlights the complexities faced in getting approvals in place and setting the process up. Our early evidence highlights that about 1000 extra children are now receiving FSM in each area as a result of this process – but it shouldn’t have to rely on already busy local authorities when it’s possible to do it centrally.” – Maria Bryant, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of York and the FixOurFood auto-enrolment lead.
“It’s been incredible to see the effort and commitment from local councils in introducing new ways to auto-enrol children previously missing out for free school meals. But the whole system needs reform. It’s not fair for councils to do it; it’s not fair for schools; and most of all it’s not fair for children and families; national government have the data and they have the power. Time to step up and do the right thing.” – Myles Bremner, Bremner & Co.
“It’s shocking that so many children from households on extremely low incomes who meet the government’s criteria to receive a free school meal are missing out on a school lunch that could be the only hot meal they have access to in a day. Government should be doing everything they can to make sure these children at risk of food poverty have access to this vital nutritional safety net, as is their right. Auto-enroling children for Free School Meals is an absolutely critical first step towards the government achieving its very welcome ambitions to reduce child poverty and have “the healthiest generation of children ever”. – Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager, The Food Foundation.