ST HELENS Council say it is "unacceptable" that a large number of children are slipping through the net" following startling figures showing that 2,000 children don’t qualify for free meals.
The figures come from research done by a Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and Greater Manchester Poverty Action (GMPA) and highlight that 2,000 children in St Helens alone are unable to get free school meals due to the restrictive requirements.
Who qualifies for school dinners in England?
Infants are guaranteed a free school meal in England, but children in Year 3 and above must be in households on universal credit with an income below £7,400 per year (before benefits and after tax) to qualify.
This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite increasing inflation.
It means 100,000 (one in four) school-age children in poverty across the North West can’t claim free meals – at a time when one in three children in the region are below the poverty line and the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.
The analysis highlights the stark inadequacy of the current free school system for families, with the number of school-age children who are poor but ineligible for free lunches ranging from 1,500 in Halton to 15,000 in Lancashire.
What do the council have to say?
Councillor Nova Charlton, St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “As a council, our number one priority is to ensure all children and young people have the best possible start in life which is evident through a number of initiatives and services we deliver, including the Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) during most school breaks, and the work coming out of our Family Hubs and children’s centres which include cooking and food-related classes.
“However, it is evident through this data that a large number of children are slipping through the net which is not acceptable and needs reviewing given that the ongoing cost of living crisis has placed more families into financial hardship.
“We would urge the government to expand free school meals and review the eligibility criteria which would increase the number of children entitled to free school meals, taking that pressure away from families, ensuring children have access to food while in school which alleviates food insecurity and poverty, supporting good nutrition, and improving health and learning.”
What provisions are available elsewhere in the UK?
In Scotland and Wales universal provision is being rolled out across primary schools and in Northern Ireland the eligibility threshold is considerably higher than in England (eligibility is set at £14,000 in Northern Ireland).
Why is this so important?
The new analysis is published today in a report from CPAG and GMPA which highlights examples of local action being taken in the North West to increase access to free school meals, encouraging local leaders to do what they can but also to join national calls for expansion of entitlement to free school lunch.
The report outlines existing research which shows children’s health, attainment and even school attendance is improved when free school meals are universal.
Free lunch for every school-age child would also be a significant step towards ensuring the UK meets its international human rights obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (which states that children have the right to food, clothing and a safe space to live and that the government should help families and children who cannot afford this ) and under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (which guarantees the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger and identifies positive obligations on States to fulfil the right to adequate food when individuals are unable to do so themselves.)
Child Poverty Action Group’s head of education policy Kate Anstey added: “Seeing the statistics at local level brings this issue home. Children in every corner of the North West are sitting in classrooms too hungry to concentrate and learn because they don’t qualify for a free school meal.
“Too many children are being let down by the Government’s cruel free school meals cut-off threshold – and these numbers should act as a wake-up call.
“The Government must bring in universal free school meals to ensure every child has the food they need and struggling families get breathing space from high costs. Means-testing children at lunchtime should be a thing of the past.”
The statistics across the North West:
Local Authority
Children in poverty not eligible for free school meals
Blackburn with Darwen
3,000
Blackpool
2,000
Bolton
5,500
Bury
3,000
Cheshire East
3,500
Cheshire West and Chester
3,500
Cumbria
4,500
Halton
1,500
Knowsley
2,000
Lancashire
15,000
Liverpool
6,500
Manchester
10,500
Oldham
5,000
Rochdale
4,000
Salford
4,000
Sefton
3,000
St. Helens
2,000
Stockport
3,000
Tameside
3,500
Trafford
3,500
Warrington
2,000
Wigan
4,000
Wirral
3,500
North West
100,000
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