Responding to a survey from Deltapoll/NEU, which shows the vast
majority of parents recognise the health and educational benefits
of free school meals and support the scheme's expansion, Julia
Harnden, Funding Specialist at the Association of School and
College Leaders, said:
“It's clear that where there is access to free school meals, they
can provide a lifeline to many families. The problem is that the
current system of means testing children's access is just not
working, with the restrictive eligibility criteria meaning there
are hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty who are
not able to make use of this scheme.
“All children and young people, regardless of their background,
should have the same opportunity to access nutritious school food
so that they are ready and able to learn. As we consider how best
to achieve this long-term, there are simple steps that could be
made to ensure that no child goes hungry at school. Extending the
criteria for free school meal eligibility to all families in
receipt of universal credit, and introducing a system of
auto-enrolment for all eligible children and young people, would
be good places to start.
“Widening free school meals will require increased public
spending, but really this is an opportunity to invest in the
health and wellbeing of future generations. It should not be a
difficult decision for the next government to make.”
