Oxfordshire school says more parents relying on food banks for packed lunch
A report estimates more children living in poverty than those receiving free school meals
A school in Oxfordshire says more parents are struggling financially and relying on food banks to give their children a packed lunch.
A new report also finds more children are estimated to be living in poverty than those receiving free school meals, due to a number of factors such as the low-income threshold.
"A lot of families rely on the support of these services"
Carly Bunn, Assistant Principal at Dashwood Academy in Banbury which also runs as a foodbank for the families.
She said: “We’ve definitely seen an influx in parents needing that support. A lot of families who before maybe wouldn’t meet the criteria of needing these resources are coming to us and asking what’s available for them as they are struggling.”
Ms Bunn added: “We know a lot of the families rely on the support of these services where they’re not entitled to the free school meal funding. So, they rely on other donations to make sure their children are being fed throughout the day.”
The report published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by the Nuffield Foundation blames a number of factors including, the low-income threshold (£7,400 per year), under-registration, and eligibility rules that ignore factors like housing costs and family size.
The EPI is calling on the Government to remove current restrictions on free school meals eligibility for pre-school children, increase the salary threshold for families, and provide sufficient funding.
It also recommends the Government should conduct updated studies to find out how many eligible children are not claiming free school meals.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are determined to tackle the scourge of child poverty and break the unfair link between background and opportunity - and have already taken wide-ranging action despite this government’s incredibly challenging fiscal inheritance.
“The first 750 schools will begin offering free breakfast clubs from April, backed by over £30 million investment, pupil premium funding has increased to over £2.9 billion for the FY 24-25, and the Child Poverty Taskforce is working to deliver an ambitious strategy to tackle challenges felt by those living in poverty.
“We are keeping our approach to free school meals under review. As with all government programmes, all future spending is subject to the Spending Review.”