What are the main findings to come out of the study?
I looked at ways to increase take-up of free school meals (FSMs). I was surprised to see that when school dinners were made available free to all children aged five to eight in five areas of Scotland in 2007, the biggest drop in non-participation was among the group already registered for FSMs, who weren't being targeted by this scheme.
I thought this could be because these children no longer needed to reveal their low-income status. However, I also found this rise in take-up for schools with anonymised or cashless payment for school meals, where this concern shouldn't matter. I show that take-up of FSMs rose because take-up rose among the unregistered group. This applies throughout Scotland. In a typical school a 10 percentage point rise in peer group take-up would reduce non-participation by almost a quarter.
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
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
