Call to give more children free school meals
A study by the University of York has found many pupils who turn up to class hungry don't qualify for the extra help
A significant number of children who do not meet the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals are going hungry, a new study has shown.
The researchers from the University of York and the Bradford Institute for Health Research have called for Free School Meals (FSM) eligibility to be widened.
Dr Maria Bryant from the University of York says "It's certainly, to my mind, unacceptable to hear children tell us that they are hungry when they are at school. We got this from the big data sources but we also experienced it first hand by talking to children and young people."
The number of children eligible for FSM increased during the pandemic to 19.7 per cent of all state-funded pupils in 2021, up from 17.3 per cent in 2020 and 15.4 per cent in 2019.
In May this year, teaching unions and other organisations representing school staff in England, wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, requesting urgent change to FSM to allow more vulnerable children to access free school meals.
The Government says it works closely with schools and councils to support children and is spending £37 billion to help families with the cost of living.