Campaigners have called on the Prime Minister to extend free school meals to all children in poverty in England and end the hunger crisis that is damaging their life chances.
Their appeal, Feed the Future, comes as a new study by accounting firm PwC — released exclusively to us and our sister title The Independent — reveals that the economic benefit to society of this policy shift would amount to £2.5 billion over 20 years.
There are 800,000 children in England who live in households on universal credit but are ineligible because their household income, excluding benefits, is over £7,400 a year. This low threshold applies irrespective of the number of children in the family and is causing deep hardship among families struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Feed the Future is co-ordinated by the Food Foundation, the charity that combined with footballer Marcus Rashford to force the Government to feed hungry pupils in school holidays during Covid.
Other organisations in the coalition include School Food Matters, Chefs in Schools, Bite Back 2030, Sustain, Child Poverty Action Group, Impact on Urban Health, National Education Union and Jamie Oliver Ltd. Their call to extend free school meals to all children on universal credit has popular support, with 72 per cent of the public in England backing this action, according to a YouGov poll.
On Monday we revealed how shortages in households have led to some children and mothers stealing to stave off hunger. Tuesday’s PwC analysis, commissioned by Impact on Urban Health, shows that it makes economic sense to act.
It reveals that the cost of giving free school lunches to all children in poverty in England would be an additional £477 million in the first year and would then decline to £210 million over 20 years. But this total cost of £6.44 billion over two decades would lead to benefits of £8.9 billion — resulting in a net benefit of £2.45 billion. PwC has aggregated the positive impacts that flow from educational attainment, mental and physical health effects and productivity improvements and reported that for every £1 invested by government, £1.38 would be returned.
Kieron Boyle, CEO of Impact on Urban Health said: “This analysis more than provides the evidence required for a policy shift in school food.”
Anna Taylor, of the Food Foundation, said: “Government can deliver on its levelling-up promise by committing long-term to free school meals for all, but for this winter the focus should be on safeguarding low-income children facing cost-of-living pressures by ensuring they receive a hot lunch.”
The 800,000 children who miss out amounts to 30 per cent of all school-aged children living in poverty. Currently 1.9 million children in England are entitled to free school meals (costing government £2.47 per meal), including all pupils from reception to year two, but beyond that the restrictive threshold applies.
England lags behind the rest of the UK. Wales and Scotland have announced plans to give universal free school lunches to all primary school children. London’s children face a post-code lottery with four boroughs — Islington, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Southwark — offering universal free school meals to all primary school children, but key stage two pupils in the other 28 boroughs are exposed.
David Cohen talks to headteachers about the growing problem of pupil hunger in their schools
Louise Nichols, executive headteacher of a federation of primary schools in Hackney
Number of pupils: 370/240
Free school meals: 62%/58%
Pupils in poverty but not on free school meals: 38%/42%
“We have two schools within a few miles of each other, both with a similar poverty profile, but in the one, Mandeville Primary, we provide universal free school meals, while in the other, Kingsmead Primary, we do not.
“This is because Mandeville sits on the border with Islington, one of four London boroughs that offers universal free school meals to all primary school children, and we need to make a similar offer to them to compete for students.
“It costs us £15,000 a year to provide free school meals for the other 38 per cent at Mandeville, and this is overseen by our associate head Marc Thompson, but at Kingsmead, with the financial pressures we’re under, we can’t afford it.
“So I have to acknowledge that things are deeply unfair because if you’re a Mandeville child, you are decently fed, but if you’re a Kingsmead child, some of you are going hungry and your education is suffering. These are children whose parents mostly work hard in low-income jobs, such as hospital porters, cleaners, kitchen staff and security guards — a lot of them on zero hours contracts. Many of these children start the day without a proper breakfast and then it’s a long stretch to lunch and if they don’t have lunch or have just a meagre lunch, they cannot cope.
“The campaign to extend free school meals to all children in poverty is desperately needed. In this country, we give free education to all children and yet they somehow think food is different. Free school meals should be seen as a human right, not a benefit.”
Nicholas Capstick, headteacher Drove Primary School, Swindon
Number of pupils: 800
Free school meals: 29%
Pupils in poverty but not on free school meals: 54%
“Just over half our pupils do not get free school meals but would be defined as living in poverty. Many arrive at school hungry and as the day progresses, become distracted and unable to concentrate because they think only of food. These children typically bring in a lunch box, but what’s inside is wholly inadequate. We see packed lunches with stale potato chips from the night before covered in congealed ketchup or leftover cold pasta. We’ve got children who turn their face to the wall at lunchtime to hide their mouths because they are ashamed and don’t want their peers to see what’s in their lunch.
“We run a tuckshop at break twice a week and some children come and empty their coppers on the counter to cobble together 20p for a piece of fruit. They get distressed because they can’t afford more. We have children breaking down and crying because of hunger. Birthdays are another flashpoint with pupils embarrassed and upset because they can’t afford treats for their friends. The impacts are deep. It’s hard to perform academically or do physical exercise when you are hungry. We have also seen an increase in poor teeth and a decline in dental hygiene.
“I support the call to extend free school meals to all children whose parents are on universal credit. Children get free stationery and textbooks, those are not means tested, so why not food? The Government talks about ‘levelling up’, but what can be more important than making sure our children are fed?”
Sarah Beveridge, headteacher, Leyburn Primary, North Yorkshire
Number of pupils: 200
Free school meals: 11%
Pupils in poverty but not on free school meals: 15%
“We don’t have a lot of children on free school meals but we do have a high number of parents who are struggling with their bills and don’t want to admit they’re not fine because of pride — but being unable to fund school trips or update school uniforms are tell-tale signs. I have concern for about 30 of our pupils who don’t get free school meals but whose parents are buckling under the cost of living crisis.
“These children come in with very skimpy packed lunches that may consist of a biscuit and a bruised banana that are completely inadequate. They get very tired in the afternoon. Children will even take food out of other pupils’ lunch boxes when they’re not looking. Actual stealing. Teachers tell me there are children who don’t have enough to eat. In urban areas, cheap food is easier to access, but we are in the Yorkshire Dales and where the cost of produce is higher because of transport costs.
“Ministers should ask themselves: what would you want for your child? It’s shocking that we need a campaign to end hunger in schools when we live in one of the most privileged countries in the world. Children face high expectations academically but cannot do it on empty stomachs.”
