Free school meals for 500,000 more children

(All quotes from BBC I player news)

Good. Never the children's fault that they don't have enough money.

£7400 a year is not enough for a single person, let alone a family to live on and certainly not enough to be taxed. I’d have thought they would already qualify on that income. Surely there will be a higher threshold if it is to include new families?

Good, progress towards being a “real” Labour government.

Cabbie21

£7400 a year is not enough for a single person, let alone a family to live on and certainly not enough to be taxed. I’d have thought they would already qualify on that income. Surely there will be a higher threshold if it is to include new families?

These are the current rules for eligibility for free school meals:

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

I've highlighted the last point.

Children of unemployed parents/carers are obviously eligible. The issue is when parents have a low income (but above the £7,400 cut off, which means that low paid, part time work isn't worth it for some parents because they receive less in support (even though they're working). This hits single parents, who are usually women, disproportionately.

I'm pleased this has been noted and efforts are being made to rectify it.

Quite clearly, the government is trying to ensure that work pays.

I doubt if there are many (any?) families who are expected to live on £7,400 because they'll receive other benefits, including Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax support (and maybe some others), but these are means-tested. If somebody moves from unemployment into work they lose some of their means-tested benefits on a sliding scale. Losing free school meals is a big loss for some families.

There's a grey area between unemployment and full-time work when it's not really worth while working for financial reasons. Going out to work costs money (travel costs, possibly clothes, childcare, etc), so anything which can ease that transition is positive.

than you for the detail, Growstuff, I was summarising an article as best as I could and you've added necessary bits.

Good, my belief is that school meals should be free for all. There were some interesting pilots I think when pupil premium was first introduced that showed universal free school meals was useful in improving attainment of disadvantaged children.

What Galaxy said. At least until 11.

Sorry yes I did have primary age in my head when I wrote that.

That’s great but they need to ensure they are good quality and nutritious. Also while they’re at it they should encourage all children to learn about nutrition, budgeting and cooking. I know it’s covered to some extent but it needs to be prioritised.

Free school meals for all, if not must be sympathetically managed by the schools. Memories of having to line up first for lunch because we got free school meals (1960s/70s).
From memory there were only a handful of us,it was embarrassing to be singled out like that.

Trisha99

Free school meals for all, if not must be sympathetically managed by the schools. Memories of having to line up first for lunch because we got free school meals (1960s/70s).
From memory there were only a handful of us,it was embarrassing to be singled out like that.

My experience is that paying for school meals is handled mores sensitively now. Most children have an account. Parents can load money on to the account and free school meal children have the money loaded automatically. Children can then pay with a card or finger-print scanning. Nobody knows where the money has come from.

I would like to know how much extra would need to be paid in tax per tax payer for free school meals for all children of school age. I would happily pay a reasonable amount as long as it were ring fenced for good quality well balanced school meals. Tax paying parents would therefore contribute and higher rate tax payers at a higher rate.

It is shocking that there are malnourished children in 2025. Free meals for all would take away any embarrassment.

Trisha, let me assure you that no one knows who has paid and who is "free" in schools today.
With breakfast clubs in place, there is also a store of food which can be discreetly used to feed a child who has come to school hungry.
Children learn best with food in their stomach.

Chocolatelovinggran

Trisha, let me assure you that no one knows who has paid and who is "free" in schools today.
With breakfast clubs in place, there is also a store of food which can be discreetly used to feed a child who has come to school hungry.
Children learn best with food in their stomach.

This💯

Chocolatelovinggran

Trisha, let me assure you that no one knows who has paid and who is "free" in schools today.
With breakfast clubs in place, there is also a store of food which can be discreetly used to feed a child who has come to school hungry.
Children learn best with food in their stomach.

I asked my DiL about it as they have 2 children currently in primary school. It's handled so children aren't aware unless they say anything.
The school has a mix of kids some vv low income - an ex mining area - but also some commenting families due to where it is

and they also do a brilliant (run by some parents) recycle school uniform scheme's) where you go and pay what you can.

Not commenting families but commuting families!!!

My experience is that paying for school meals is handled mores sensitively now. Most children have an account. Parents can load money on to the account and free school meal children have the money loaded automatically. Children can then pay with a card or finger-print scanning. Nobody knows where the money has come from.

We had that system in the school I worked in. But, IIRC, the FSM children were limited to a certain amount of money for each meal. This may have changed now, it's 12 years since I retired.

Yes, they were limited Maizie, but the allowance was enough for them to buy a two course meal. If they had gone over budget, they would have been short on other days.

I'm in the free for all Children camp, until they go to Senior school.
I would happily pay extra tax for that.
Senior School meals now that's completely different, I remember my Teenagers coming home frequently with Lunch box in tact.

A good thing and I wish they would do it here. No one gets meals ,they all have to bring stuff to school though they do have shops to buy them. One of the best things your government has done so far.

growstuff

Yes, they were limited Maizie, but the allowance was enough for them to buy a two course meal. If they had gone over budget, they would have been short on other days.

Given the reason that they are having free meals in the first place that seems a bit daft. Surely the children amongst whom we would undoubtedly find signs of malnutrition, should be allowed food until they are satiated?

Free milk seems a good idea too!!!

Free milk could be part of the free breakfast. It could possibly help the farmers' income.