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This briefing draws on our research with schools and families in London and makes suggestions for how schools can remove some of the barriers faced by secondary pupils in receipt of free shcool meals, and those in low-income families who do not currently qualify.

Researchers have found that going to school in the UK costs families of primary school children at least £864.87 a year, or £18.69 a week. This is before childcare costs are accounted for. For families of secondary school children, the cost of sending a child to school is at least £1,755.97 a year.

Parents typically need to find at least £39 per week for a child’s secondary school education and £19 for a primary-aged child, research for Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) finds.

The London Mayor’s announcement this week that all primary school pupils will get a free school meal for at least one year is a huge step forward. At CPAG we estimate that 210,000 children in poverty in London do not currently qualify for free school meals because the national income threshold for eligibility is shamefully low. The Mayor’s scheme will go a significant way towards addressing this problem by providing a daily hot meal to around 90,000 of those children – with the other 120,000 being children in poverty in secondary school.

Many children and families find it challenging to manage the many costs associated with going to school. This can have a knock-on effect on children’s experiences of school life and their outcomes. The Cost of the School Day project, inspired by Children North East’s Poverty Proofing© work, was started by CPAG in Scotland in 2014 with the aim of reducing the financial barriers that prevent pupils from fully participating in the school day. In 2019 it expanded to more areas in Scotland, and launched in Wales and England, in partnership with Children North East. As the expanded project draws to a close, what changes has it achieved for children? What has been learned about this type of work? And what would CPAG do differently next time?

Recently, there have been lots of free school meals (FSM) numbers floating around. But what do they all mean? And how can we piece them together?

At a time of sharply increasing costs and stretched family budgets, ensuring that children have all they need to take part in school is another worry for families. The guide will help schools consider how they’re already supporting families and how they can make small changes to policies, practices and communications to help families through times of economic difficulty.

From breakfast clubs to sports activities, before- and after-school provision benefits children and their families hugely. These clubs and activities help children engage with learning and feel fulfilled at school, and they help parents financially by allowing them to work or take up more hours. Unfortunately, many families don’t get to benefit from these clubs, either because they’re too expensive or because they’re not available.

A joint briefing with Magic Breakfast outlining the economic case for before- and after-school provision.

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.