Free school meals trial feeds 20,000 more children

In a recent interview, we spoke with representatives from the Durham County Council regarding a groundbreaking pilot program aimed at ensuring more children in low-income families receive free school meals.

The initiative has already seen success, automatically enrolling over 1,700 children in County Durham who were previously unregistered for these meals. This trial, part of the Fix Our Food research program, involves numerous councils and focuses on identifying eligible children who may not have been enrolled before.

“It’s important for families to understand that they often need to register their children to access free school meals, even if they meet the eligibility criteria,” a council spokesperson explained. “The Department for Education encourages families who qualify but aren’t enrolled to take the necessary steps to register.”

Currently, about 2.1 million children—representing roughly 24.6% of the student population in England—are registered for free school meals. However, many eligible families are not signing up due to various barriers such as language difficulties, confusion over the eligibility requirements, or the stigma associated with disclosing financial details.

To qualify for free school meals in England, families must be on universal credit and have a household income below £7,400 per year after taxes. Recent estimates from the think tank Policy in Practice suggest that as many as 470,000 additional families could be eligible but remain unregistered.

This pilot project not only aims to increase participation in the free school meal program but also highlights the importance of making the system more accessible for all families in need.