According to the ‘Evaluation of Universal Infant Free School Meals’, published today by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), the UIFSM policy, introduced in September 2014, has led to a 'rapid increase' in school meal take-up from an estimated 38 per cent in 2013-14 to 80 per cent in 2015-16 (based on Office of National Statistics data).
However, the introduction of the policy has also had a negative impact on some schools’ Pupil Premium funding. Nearly a third of the school leaders (31 per cent) surveyed by the EPI reported a drop in the number of parents whose children are eligible for the Pupil Premium registering for free school meals since universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) came in.
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