120,000 West Midlands children unable to get free school meals - despite living in poverty

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) charity is urging the Government to reform the qualifying criteria for free school meals.

Latest estimates show thirty-nine per cent of children in the West Midlands are in poverty - that’s 120,000 youngsters.

It wants ministers to remove means-testing from the dining hall so that more children get the food they need.

The campaigners say this will give local families struggling with rising costs to get some breathing space.

“An auto- enrolment system should also be set up immediately so that no child currently entitled falls through the cracks because of paperwork,” the CPAG has added.

What is the current criteria for children receiving free school meals (FSM)?

Infants are guaranteed a free school meal (FSM) in England.

But children in Year 3 and above in households on universal credit only qualify if their family’s income is below £7,400 per year (before benefits and after tax) to qualify.

This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite inflation.

Why are free school meals so important for children?

Research from the Nuffield Foundation and Lund University shows that children’s health, attainment and social experiences in the dining hall are improved when free school meals are available to all children.

Universal provision also supports home-school relations through the elimination of school dinner debt, according to CPAP and NEU.

How does the government’s provision of free school meals in England compare to other UK nations?

Government action on free school meals in England lags far behind other UK nations, according to CPAG.

In Wales universal provision is now fully rolled out in primary schools and in Scotland universal FSM are offered to all children in the first five years of primary school.

In Northern Ireland the eligibility threshold is double the threshold for families in England (eligibility is set at £15,000 in Northern Ireland).

Some areas in England have also expanded provision. Emergency funding provided by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, means all state primary school children in London will receive free school meals until the end of the 2024/25 academic school year.

The Mayor of London has also committed to extending the policy beyond this point. Pilots of expanded access are also being established in a number of areas including York and Stockport.

This is good news for children in these areas but also establishes a postcode lottery that deepens regional inequalities.

‘In every corner of the West Midlands kids are going without the food they need’

CPAG is urging local leaders to do what they can to expand access to FSM but also to join national calls to make free school meals available to every child that needs them.

Kate Anstey, Head of Education at Child poverty Action Group, said: “It’s hard to focus on your times tables when you’re hungry at school.

“But in every corner of the West Midlands kids are going without the food they need because the qualifying threshold for free school meals is out of date and much too restrictive.

“In line with its mission to tackle child poverty and improve children’s well-being, the Government must urgently make free school meals available to every child that needs them and work towards removing means-testing entirely from the dining hall.

“This would take some financial pressure off struggling families and give them peace of mind, while helping to ensure that every child has what they need to make the most of school.

“We should be giving children the nourishment they need to succeed, not settling for what they can get by on.