BORIS Johnson has been urged to give free school meals to all kids in universal credit households, following demands from union leaders.
The prime minister has remained under pressure to expand free lunch provision as the cost of living continues to squeeze on Brits struggling to feed their families.
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Former cabinet members have been among those in favour for the Government to act as they did during the pandemic when provisions were expanded to reflect social and financial inequalities.
Currently it’s estimated that one in five pupils already qualify for free schools with more than 420,000 children falling into this bracket when coronavirus restrictions were first implemented.
Pupils in England can get free school meals during term time up to the end of Year Two but older pupils are only eligible if their parents receive certain benefits.
Meanwhile, families on Universal Credit can only get free school meals if their annual income is less than £7,400 without including benefits.
But, with the cost of the living on the rise and food prices set to soar to “apocalyptic” levels, according to the governor of the Bank of England, a row has ensued over widening the eligibility bracket, which has already been committed in Scotland Wales.
In an open letter to Rishi Sunak and Nadhim Zahawi, unions and campaigners warned that school dinners are sometimes children’s only source of nutrition each day.
They added that hunger can act as a “real barrier for learning” creating further social inequalities for children from impoverished areas.
The group, which includes bosses from TeachFirst, said: “A quality school meal helps improve children’s concentration and behaviour during lessons. We witness, first-hand, the effect they can have on improving school attendance, on children’s health, and academic performance.
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“However, the intensifying cost-of-living crisis means many more are now struggling to afford school lunches… We see the devastating reality of children coming to school unable to afford to buy lunch, because their family circumstances means they fall outside the restrictive free school meal eligibility criteria.”
The letter continued: “Now is the right moment for the Government to commit to an expansion of free school meals, providing a nutritional safety net that supports all children to learn and achieve.”
The Prime Minister has continued to face backlash from MPs, including his own party members, as he appears to continue to resist calls to widen school lunches.
Last Autumn, chancellor Rishi Sunak promised £200m a year to support the school food programme as Man Utd footballer Marcus Rashford called for a guaranteed “meal a day” to kids during the summer break.
But now MPs believe the policies haven’t been taken far enough given the limitations of the provisions outreach.
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Backing union members, Justin Greening, the Conservative former education secretary, said: “The government has a chance to avoid the mess on free school meals that happened last year and get ahead of the next phase of the cost of living crisis for families.”
She added that the government should “put in place proper summer holiday provision and revisit the school meals funding that schools get to make sure it’s not eroded by inflation so children have the provision of healthy nutritious meals as intended.”
Her comments come as Dr Nick Capstick, Chair of the School Food Review Board and head of Drove Primary School in Wiltshire, described how many children are coming into school underfed or undernourished.
“We are also seeing more of our pupils having time away from school because of illness and poor oral hygiene caused by inadequate diet,” he said.
“Schools are increasingly faced with the need to support and often feed young people whose families can no longer afford the right food at home.”
Meanwhile, Azmina Siddique, Policy and Impact Manager at The Children’s Society, described how the cost of living crisis is hitting low income families hard “leaving many families struggling to afford the basic essentials.”
“Support for children was notably absent from the Chancellor’s announcements last week,“ he said in reference to Sunak’s proposed supportive measures.
“The Children’s Society has long been calling for free school meals to be extended to all families in receipt of UC, which would provide targeted support to around 1.5million more children.
“This would save a family around £400 a year per child, and ensure children are get at least one hot and nutritious meal every day.”
In response to calls on the PM to enact change, a Government spokesperson said: “We recognise that millions of households across the UK are struggling to make their incomes stretch to cover the rising cost of living, which is why, in addition to the over £22 billion announced previously, we are providing over £15 billion in further support, targeted particularly on those with the greatest need.
“We have also expanded access to free school meals more than any other government in recent decades, currently reaching over 1.7 million eligible children.
“The Holiday Activities and Food programme runs during major school holidays, and wider welfare support is available through the Household Support Fund, which helps vulnerable families in need with essentials, such as food and utility bills.”
