Lib Dems force crunch vote on free school meals as 200,000 children miss out
EMBARGO: 00.01 Tuesday 18th March
New Liberal Democrat analysis estimates that over 230,000 children eligible for free school meals are not receiving the food they’re entitled to, though the true figure could be much higher – as the party prepares to push a key vote in Parliament to bring free school meals to over a million children.
New analysis by the Liberal Democrats has suggested that at least 230,000 children eligible for school meals may not be enrolled to receive the benefit. Combined with the Child Poverty Action Group’s estimate that 900,000 children in poverty are not eligible for free school meals, this figure would bring the number of total vulnerable children in England not receiving free lunches to over 1 million.
On Tuesday, Liberal Democrats will force MPs to vote on auto-enrolling eligible children for free school meals. They will also table a vote on raising the income threshold for free school meal eligibility to £20,000.
The number of eligible children not claiming meals could be far higher than the 230,000 estimated figure. Shockingly, the last Government analysis of the issue took place in 2013. That study suggested 89% of those entitled to free lunches were claiming them, leaving 1 in 10 eligible children missing out. If those numbers hold true today, that would mean over 230,000 young people are going without the meals to which they’re entitled – with the Lib Dems slamming the Government for “flying blind” on this crucial issue.
The House of Commons’ Education Select Committee has recently backed calls for auto-enrolment. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers, also added his name to the list of those calling for the policy change. He told the BBC last month that “social stigma means parents do not register”. He also cited the pupil premium money that free school meal enrolment brings to a school, noting that “without registration”, children eligible for free school meals “miss out” on “vital additional support."
The Times reported yesterday [Monday 17 March] that Government changes to the benefits system could also see a million children lose their free school meal eligibility.
Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Education, Children and Families Spokesperson, said:
“It’s heartbreaking to think that hundreds of thousands of children are going without the food to which they’re entitled. No child should go hungry in twenty-first century England. The Government certainly shouldn’t be flying blind on this crucial issue.
“MPs now have a choice: whether or not they want to stand up for struggling children and families in their constituencies. Auto-enrolment is a common-sense step that would remove crucial barriers for families in poverty struggling to put food on the table for their children.
“My colleagues across Parliament must seize this opportunity and back this change – transforming the lives of thousands of vulnerable children for the better.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
Please find government statistics on free school meals, analysed by the Liberal Democrats, here.
See Government admission on the last date of assessment regarding eligible children not claiming free school meals here.
Times reporting here.
In most areas, children eligible for free school meals need to register to receive them. But administrative barriers, social stigma, language issues and other factors mean that many children aren’t registered to receive the food they are eligible for. When auto-enrolment was introduced by the Liberal Democrat-led council in Durham, 2,500 more vulnerable children received free lunch, and schools received an additional £3 million in pupil premium funding.
Labour MP Peter Lamb tabled a private members’ bill to autoenroll eligible children on free school meals, on Friday 14th March. The bill was not allowed to progress.
The Lib Dems have also tabled an amendment to the CWSB on requiring the Government to gather regular data on how many children aren’t claiming free school meals.
