Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted in Part
Introduce auto-enrolment for all eligible children in free school meals without delay.
Recommendation
We consider that the arguments for auto-enrolment in free school meals for those children currently eligible are conclusive. In the interests of alleviating hunger in schools and improving health and educational outcomes for the poorest children, auto-enrolment must be brought in without delay. (Conclusion, Paragraph 35) 27
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of free school meals and commits to making it quicker and easier for families to sign up by upgrading the Eligibility Checking System and exploring options for data sharing and Universal Credit integration, but does not commit to full auto-enrolment.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
Government response to Conclusion eight: We recognise the vital role played by free school meals and encourage all eligible families to take up their entitlement. We currently facilitate the process of claiming free meals through provision of the Eligibility Checking System. This is a digital portal available to local authorities that makes verifying eligibility for free lunches quick and simple. This is in addition to action that we are taking to deliver on our mission to break down barriers to opportunity, by rolling out our manifesto commitment of free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school. The government is pressing ahead with making it quicker and easier for both families and local authorities to get children signed up for free school meals with an upgraded Eligibility Checking System, which allows parents to check their own eligibility. Further to this, we are aware of a range of measures that are being implemented by local authorities to boost the take-up of free lunches. We welcome locally led approaches. By working directly with their communities, local authorities can overcome the barriers to registering and take action to ensure that families access the support that they are eligible for, subject to these activities meeting legal requirements, including those on data protection. To support this, we are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore options on the further data sharing that will make it easier to identify those families who are eligible to make a claim. We expect to have these in place from Spring next year, well ahead of the Academic Year beginning in September 2026. Officials are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to explore options on supporting enrolment through the Universal Credit claims process. We will monitor the impact of these policies and engage with local authorities to assess the impact that these changes are having on uptake of free school meals. The Child Poverty Taskforce is considering a range of levers to tackle child poverty, including key cost drivers for households such as food, to develop a comprehensive strategy which will be published this year.