With less than a month until the annual pupil census, schools are being urged to start New Year with a reminder to families on low incomes to claim their right to free school meals.
The School Food Trust says that too many families are still not taking up their entitlement, which means that children are missing out on hundreds of pounds worth of healthy lunches every year.
By registering for free school meals before the annual school census on 19 January 2012, parents can also make sure that their child’s school also receives extra Pupil Premium funding to support them.
The push comes in the week following the Government announcement that children who have been registered for free school meals at any time in the last six years will also get support from the Pupil Premium.
It is estimated that there could be up to 334,000 children in England missing out on the free meals they are entitled to simply because they haven’t registered to receive them. However, the number of registered children who are actually taking up their free meals continues to grow – with an estimated 50,000 more children eating free school meals last year.
Jo Walker, Children’s Food Advisor at the School Food Trust said: “Schools still have time to remind families of how much they could save by taking up their right to free school meals – up to £350 per year per child if they’re currently paying for their lunches, or savings on the weekly shopping bill if they currently give their child a packed lunch.
“Our research shows that children behave better and are more focused with their teachers after a good school lunch, and for many children who qualify for free school meals, it can be the only proper meal they have in a day. By helping families register to take their free meals before the January census, schools can also make sure those children get extra support from the Government’s Pupil Premium.”
To help schools, the Trust has launched a new support toolkit called ‘Free School Meals Matter’, which includes practical resources to help schools promote free school meals to parents and tackle some of the issues that can mean children don’t want to take them.
Ask your child’s school about free school meals or visit www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/fsm see the eligibility criteria.
