Nursery World - Government urged to expand free school meals to help 'under pressure families'

Councils want the free school meals scheme, worth nearly £500 per child a year, expanded to help families facing record food prices and 'spiralling inflation'.

The LGA is calling for the free school meal scheme to be expanded to help families in need, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

The £470 allocated by the Government to cover the cost of each child’s free school meals (FSM) per year could be extended to ‘thousands of children in need’ if the application process was ‘simplified and made automatic’, the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, says.

Automatic enrolment, instead of parents having to formally apply to their local authority or via their child’s academy school could benefit an estimated 11 per cent of eligible school children – equivalent to 215,000 pupils - who have not yet taken up the offer, according to the LGA.

The free school meals scheme is different to Universal Infant Free School Meals, under which all children from Reception to Year 2, inclusive, receive a school dinner automatically at no cost.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included