MPs will put pressure on Keir Starmer to overhaul free school meal provision to stop poor children getting left behind.
Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson said she would seek to amend the new Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill to change the rules to cover the estimated 900,000 children living in poverty who miss out on a free lunch. She also wants MPs to look at auto-enrolment for the scheme, so eligible families don’t lose out.
The bill, which was published before Christmas, includes plans to stop children falling through the cracks by creating a register of kids not in school, tougher attendance rules and limits on the number of branded uniform items parents have to buy.
Ms Wilson, the Lib Dem Education spokesperson, told the Mirror: “It’s the first piece of legislation we’ll be discussing after Christmas, so I think that’s a great opportunity to really be pressing the case again.
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“We need to be extending free school meals to every child in poverty as a first step because we know there’s around 900,000 children across the country who are living in poverty, who miss out on a free school meal. These are families really struggling to get by, who are struggling to heat their homes, put food on the table.
“Giving them a hot healthy meal in the middle of the day – we know all the evidence from various studies around the country show that it improves academic performance, it improves concentration, and it improves health as well because nutritionally it’s so important. In my mind it’s really a no brainer.”
The Twickenham MP said she had been left horrified by hearing from a constituent who skipped taking her medication to make sure her daughter had enough to eat. She said: “She was somebody who fled domestic abuse and was on mental health medication to help her cope with the trauma that she had been through.
Why every child deserves a free school meal
The country’s children should not be the victims of the cost of living crisis.
They should not have to pay the price because their parents cannot afford to put food on the table or heat the family home.
But at the moment there are nearly four million children living in poverty. Many of them are being brought up in homes where there is not enough money to pay for a hot meal. Some are having to skip meals entirely.
That is why the Mirror is calling on the government to provide free school meals for every primary pupil in England.
The Scottish and Welsh governments are introducing universal free school meals. It’s time England did the same.
If a child is hungry they cannot learn. It makes it harder for them to concentrate in class and harder for them to reach their potential.
Free school meals for all primary-age children would save parents vital pennies – money which could be used to pay for warm clothes, school activities or heating.
It would reduce the bureaucracy attached with deciding which pupils are eligible. Most importantly, it would mean every child have the chance to flourish.
You can find out more about our Free School Meals for All campaign here
“And she said to me, there are times when I don’t go and get my prescription so that my daughter has got enough money for her lunch.”
Ms Wilson, who has previously backed the Mirror’s campaign to change the eligibility rules, added: “It pains me to think of any child being hungry at school and struggling to concentrate or being told off for behaving badly because they are hungry, just because they couldn’t afford to bring a packed lunch or pay for a school meal. That cannot be right in one of the wealthiest countries in the world that we’ve still got children going hungry.”
There is support among Labour MPs for widening free school meals provision, which has been piloted in London by Sadiq Khan and rolled out in Labour-run Wales. But the Government has resisted changing the rules and instead put its focus on rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools.
Education Minister Stephen Morgan recently told the Mirror he was “keen to learn from what’s happening across the country”. He added: “Right now, in light of the fiscal inheritance that we have, our focus is on breakfast clubs and that’s because the research tells us it contributes to improving behaviour, attendance and attainment. But I’m always open to ideas, there’s always more I’m keen to do.”
MPs are also likely to mount a push for auto-enrolment so eligible kids are automatically signed up for free school meals. An estimated 470,000 children qualify under the current rules but are not currently signed up.
Local authorities, schools, charities and universities signed a recent letter co-ordinated by the Food Foundation calling for auto-enrolment, which warned some families are struggling with the burdensome application process, which can be unmanageable for those with poor literacy or who don’t speak English as their first language.
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Some families may not even know they are eligible, while some are put off due to stigma.
Free school meals were introduced for infants by the coalition Government, so all children can get a free lunch until the end of year 2 in England. After that, they are eligible only if their parent or carer receives certain benefits. Households on Universal Credit only qualify if their income is less than just £7,400 from work.
An estimated 900,000 school age children who live in poverty miss out due to strict eligibility rules, according to the Child Poverty Action Group. The Mirror and the National Education Union are calling for every primary pupil to get free school lunches to ensure no child gets left behind.