Child poverty in the UK is a pervasive problem, with the latest figures showing that 29% of children in the UK are growing up in poverty. This rises to nearly 50% in families with more than three children. Child poverty is not spread evenly across the UK. 23.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (FSM), but in six Greater Manchester boroughs there are areas where this number rises to over 50%. Research from The University of Manchester has also found that a number of headteachers in Greater Manchester believe at least 15% of pupils in poverty do not qualify for FSMs. In this article, Dr Carl Emery, Dr Louisa Dawes, and Sandra Clare outline how improving access to FSMs would benefit the most disadvantaged children while improving educational outcomes.

• In England, it is estimated that at least 900,000 children living in poverty are missing out on FSMs, 100,000 of whom are living in the north-west.
• Schools across the north-west are engaging considerable economic and emotional resources to prevent pupils from going hungry.
• Introducing universal free school meals could prevent this problem and contribute £ 3 billion to the economy.

The extent of child poverty in the UK

Department for Work and Pensions data shows that 29% of children in the UK are growing up in poverty. This rises to nearly 50% in families with more than three children.

Child poverty is not spread evenly across the UK. 34% of children in the North West are living in poverty, the third highest rate of any region in the UK. Poverty is also not spread evenly within regions. For instance, in 23 of the 27 constituencies in Greater Manchester 30% of children are in poverty, and of those children 56% are from a minority ethnic group.

These statistics on child poverty paint a dire picture, yet there is no single data source that fully captures child poverty in the United Kingdom. In English schools FSMs tend to be a proxy for measuring child poverty. FSMs can be applied for by families in receipt of certain means-tested benefits and the number of pupils eligible for FSMs has steadily increased over the last decade to 23.8% of pupils. In Greater Manchester there are at least six wards where over 50% of children are eligible. Yet through research with schools across the north-west, we know these data do not sufficiently capture who has food and who does not.

In England, it is estimated that at least 900,000 children living in poverty are missing out on FSMs, 100,000 of whom are living in the north-west. This means two things. Firstly, many children in poverty are likely to be going hungry at school. Secondly, the metric used for FSMs does not successfully reflect the true picture of child poverty.

Eligible children failing to receive FSMs

We acknowledge the FSM offer has been extended over the past four years to recognise a growing band of distinct groups. We also acknowledge the announcement of free breakfast clubs in every primary school in the recent King’s Speech. However our research shows that as one under-served group becomes recognised, so another is revealed. There is a need for a holistic approach to combating child poverty and improving educational outcomes.

In addition to children in school who are eligible for FSMs but don’t receive them, many of the children experiencing the greatest need are not in the school system at all. The latest available statistics on school exclusions show that 263,904 pupils were suspended from school, 55% of whom are FSM eligible. The statistics also show that permanent exclusions are over four times higher for FSM eligible pupils than for non-FSM eligible pupils. It is not clear whether or not those with a FSM entitlement facing temporary or permanent exclusion from school are receiving it.

Many children are at home during the day for reasons other than exclusions. Some of these will be recorded as Children Missing Education (CME) because local educational provision does not match their needs. Many are absent from official statistics, including those who are persistently absent, or being educated from home. Figures estimate over 92,000 children are being home educated since COVID-19.

Government guidance says that children who are ‘temporarily not attending school’ should receive a weekly food parcel, packed meals or supermarket vouchers to the value of a FSM. However, with school and local authority budgets becoming increasingly strained, it is not clear that this guidance is being implemented in practice.

A universal approach

Eradicating child poverty is a complex problem. However, feeding children is simple, and you can make a drastic difference to everyday experiences in education very quickly. The importance of hot, nutritious meals for all children cannot be overstated.

We recommend the government introduce universal FSMs for all children in education aged between three and eighteen. The documented cost for this would be £2 billion, and accountancy firm PwC identified that free school meals could generate £41.3 billion for the economy, increasing lifetime earnings and saving costs for the NHS. In this way, stopping children going hungry fits into the government’s opportunities and economic growth missions.

Such an initiative has already proved successful in London. For the 2023-24 academic year, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, provided free school meals to all primary school children in state-funded schools in London. This is now set to continue into the next academic year, saving families up to £1000 per child across the two years.

Organisations such as Impetus have expressed concerns about the universal approach in London, noting that as FSM is the entry point to pupil premium funding, pupils from disadvantaged families could be left behind and schools short-changed. This critique illuminates a structural policy problem that by using FSM as the gatekeeper to pupil premium funding millions of children are already missing out and going hungry too. We would therefore also recommend that pupil premium funding be separated from FSM.

For children not currently in school, we recommend local authorities administer payments to those taking charge of their education, including their parents, to ensure they are well fed.

The upcoming Children’s Wellbeing Bill aims to put children and their wellbeing at the centre of education, stating it will require free breakfast clubs in every primary school. The Bill provides the perfect opportunity to instead legislate the provision of universal free school meals to all children.