Across the UK, millions of children receive a free school meal (FSM) each day at school. But many miss out. Previous CPAG analysis estimated that, across England, 900,000 school-age children in poverty (one in three school-age children) don’t qualify for a FSM under either the national universal infant provision or means-tested schemes. This new piece of analysis shows how this compares to national FSM schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The analysis also looks at how this figure is broken down by region in England.
This briefing, produced by CPAG in association with Age UK and RNIB, focuses on two new mandatory reconsideration policies introduced in 2022 and 2023 which put access to justice for particular groups of claimants at risk.
South Lanarkshire Council’s Cost of the School Day Conference took place this week, where the local authority further cemented its commitment to equity by launching its Cost of the School Day guidance, and ten proposals.
It was great to gather so many Cost of the School Day Voice network members together at one time, with more than 500 young people from across Scotland joining the first Big Meet Up online sessions.
Universal credit (UC) is higher if you get it alongside certain other benefits, often called relevant benefits. If you get UC and your child qualifies for disability living allowance (DLA), you’re usually entitled to a UC ‘disabled child element’. Unfortunately, these extra UC amounts are not paid automatically when the relevant benefit is awarded, and the onus is placed on claimants to notify the DWP that they are entitled to these additional elements. Evidence collected by CPAG suggests that families are missing out on much-needed financial support as a result of this failure to share information within the DWP. Research on UC conducted by CPAG in 2023 explained the impact this had on carers. This follow-up briefing focuses specifically on the impact for parents of disabled children.
Universal credit (UC) claimants are not always getting extra amounts of UC they’re entitled to when they become eligible for some other benefits because of poor data-sharing within the DWP.
Our UK Cost of the School Day programme, carried out in partnership with Children North East, has been transformative for schools and pupils. An independent evaluation of the project between 2019-22 highlights its impact on families, schools, local authorities and the wider education system.
Last week, the House of Commons’ Education Committee published a report on persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils. There is growing concern about rising levels of pupil absence following the pandemic. Attendance data highlights that children from lower-income households have lower attendance rates than their peers. Children eligible for free school meals are more than twice as likely as their peers to be persistently absent from school.
People working in schools witness the impact of poverty on children and families on a daily basis, and the scale and severity of the problem mean schools are reeling up against it. To understand exactly how child poverty affects the whole school system in England, the Education Anti-Poverty Coalition, convened by Child Poverty Action Group, has conducted a first-of-its-kind survey of professionals working in every role in schools in England.
