Charity Demands Free School Meals Policy Change
More than half of children in Wales living in poverty miss out on provision
A campaign's been launched to make free school meals available for all children living in poverty.
New analysis by Child Poverty Action Group shows that more than half of Welsh children in poverty are missing out on free school meals.
It says this is mainly because their parents are in low-paid jobs which take them over the eligibility threshold.
Families on universal credit are eligible for free school meals if their family income is below £7,400 (before benefits are taken into account).
The report says this cut-off excludes over half of children living in poverty in Wales and creates a cliff edge for many parents. When families reach a certain number of working hours (17 hours a week at the national minimum wage) they lose their eligibility.
So families can end up worse off if their earnings increase, as they lose out on free school meals worth over £400 per child per year, and remain trapped in poverty.
Missing out on free school meals also means missing out on other benefits such as the Pupil Development Grant - Access (PDG-A) which helps families buy school uniform, equipment and sports kit (worth up to £125 a year, and £200 for Year 7 learners).
CPAG is publishing its analysis today as part of Challenge Poverty Week (12 – 18 October).
The charity wants universal provision of free school meals for all pupils, which would cost £130 million per year, but as an interim measure is calling for urgent investment in:
Expanding eligibility for free school meals to include all families receiving universal credit (or equivalent benefits). CPAG estimates this would make 145,000 children in Wales newly eligible and would cost £60 million a year.
Extending free school meals entitlements to families with no recourse to public funds. This was introduced on a temporary basis during school closures, but should be made permanent. It could benefit around 5,900 children in Wales and cost £2.6 million a year.
Introducing universal infant free school meals across Wales. This policy exists in England and Scotland and has proven benefits for children and families. It would mean 80,000 additional infant children could have a free lunch each day, and would cost £30 million a year.
Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “It’s not right that in a classroom of 25 pupils in Wales, 7 children are living in poverty, and 4 of them are not even eligible for free school meals.
"School should be a happy and inclusive experience for all pupils, but worrying about the cost of eating at school can put a great strain on children and families.
"It can cause children to experience shame and stigma, and put additional pressure on parents already struggling to pay their bills or rent on precarious incomes.
"The financial impact of the pandemic has hit low-income families particularly hard. Providing free school meals is an effective way for the Welsh Government to help hard-up families cope with the financial pressures they are facing.
"Now is the time to support families with children and give them one less thing to worry about by introducing universal provision of free school meals, or at a minimum, ensuring provision of free school meals to all families on Universal Credit or with no recourse to public funds. ”
Parents who shared their experience with CPAG said:
“Being a low income family we can't afford to get ink for our printer, and could just about put food on the table, but we’re not entitled to any help at all” – Mother with two children, Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf
“It seems the parents in that category working but living on a low income are not entitled to much at all, but having three children at home and having to work is causing a lot of additional pressure on working single-parent families” – Single mother with three children, Neath Port Talbot