One million children living in poverty ineligible for free school meals

Prior to the pandemic, at least two in five school-age children - 1.3million -  did not qualify for free school meals because their parents were in low-paid work and the stringent eligibility criteria, the analysis found.

CPAG now estimates that another 100,000 UK school children in Year 3 and above that are not covered by universal infant free school meals, are in families with no recourse to public funds because of their immigration status. Many of these children will be living well below the poverty line, but are not usually eligible for means-tested free school meals. 

The charity says the findings show that the income thresholds for eligibility have fallen far too low and fail to support many families, in particular those living in in-work poverty. 

It is urging ministers to go beyond providing temporary food aid to low-income families in the holidays, and at a minimum, take up footballer Marcus Rashford’s call to extend eligibility for free school meals to all families on universal credit or equivalent benefits. Or, better still, make free school meals universal for all school-aged children in the UK, helping to remove stigma, support struggling families and ensure all children can benefit from the learning and health outcomes. 

CPAG also calls for the recent temporary extension of eligibility to families below the income threshold who have no recourse to public funds, to be made permanent.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of CPAG, said, ‘The evidence on the benefits of free school meals is really strong. Children’s school results improve when entitlement is expanded and the pressure on family budgets is eased  - so struggling parents are better placed to meet other essential living costs. Yet more than a million children in poverty are not getting a free school meal. That isn’t right – not in normal times, never mind in a pandemic when so many are seeing sudden drops in income.