1 in 3 school-age children in England living in poverty (800,000) miss out on free school meals despite cost of living struggles of families. The main causes are restrictive eligibility criteria and lack of universal provision.
The Queen’s Speech was a missed opportunity for the government to introduce legislation that would support people in the short term and improve living standards in the longer term.
This briefing for MPs aims to give you more information about free school meals, including the importance of universal free school meal provision for all school-aged children in England, and the urgent need to significantly expand eligibility, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Research from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows that more than half of children in Wales who live in poverty are not entitled to free school meals. In a typical class of 25 children, seven will be living in poverty, and four of these will not be able to get a free school meal.