The Government has set out how the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals have been designed to ensure that support is targeted where it is needed .
The suggestion by some, including the Labour Party, is that the Government is taking away Free School Meals (FSM) from children; this is just wrong.
• No child will lose their meals during the rollout of Universal Credit as a result of these changes.
• The Government’s plans mean an extra 50,000 children will be eligible for a nutritious meal at school by 2022.
• The claim that the Government’s changes could leave over a million children without a Free School Meal is deliberately misleading.
• Since 2010, the Government has extended the availability for Free School Meals to disadvantaged students in further education and introduced universal infant Free School Meals.
When Universal Credit was introduced, the Government was clear that it would set a new criteria for Free School Meals. To ensure that no one was adversely affected during its roll out, the Government temporarily made UC a qualifying benefit for Free School Meals, regardless of income. As was made clear at the time, this was always an interim measure.
The Government’s approach will mean that:
• If you receive a Free School Meal now, you will continue to do so until the end of the rollout of UC, planned for 2022, and then to the end of either primary or secondary school (which ever you are in at this point).
- For example, a child in year 5 on a FSM now, whose parents are on UC but have an income of £40,000, will continue to get a FSM until the end of secondary school.
• If you receive a Free School Meals during the roll out of UC, you will continue to do so until the end of roll out of UC, planned for 2022, and then to the end of either primary or secondary school (which ever you are in at this point).
- For example, a child who will start school in September 2020, who has a parent who at any time before the roll out of UC in 2022 has an income below the income threshold, will be eligible for a FSM until the end of primary school.
You may also be interested to know that, ahead of the vote, the Channel 4 News FactCheck promoted independent information on this issue, under the heading “Labour isn’t telling the full story about free school meals.” Details can be found here: www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-labour-arent-telling-the-full-story-about-free-school-meals
Please be assured that the Government is committed to ensuring that disadvantaged young people are able to access a free, nutritious meal at school. Contrary to the misinformation expressed ahead of the vote, the Government is increasing the number of disadvantaged young people who are eligible for this support. Because of this, I voted with the Government to extend the eligibility for Free School Meals.