Skills for the Job: Increase free school meal uptake

What are the benefits of free school meals?
Free school meals ensure that children from low-income homes have the opportunity to eat a nutritionally balanced school lunch that fuels them for learning and saves their families money.

School meals are typically healthier than packed lunches, which tend to be less varied and higher in salt, sugar and saturated fat. They can also help to close the gap between rich and poor pupils.

An evaluation of a pilot scheme where every child in Newham and Durham was offered a free school meal, found they were more likely to eat a better diet at school, do significantly better in class, and be less fussy about what they ate at home.

How many children eat free school meals?
Of the 3.3 million children that eat school meals in England each day, more than one million have free school meals. However, it is estimated that 200,000 children who would qualify for free school meals are not registered and 215,000 children are registered but do not eat them. Without a free school meal, these children may not be getting the energy and nutrients they need to learn.
 
How do you increase take-up?
The food, the hustle and bustle of the dining room, having enough time to eat, perceived stigma and being allowed to leave the school site at lunchtime are all factors that influence the take-up of free and paid-for school meals. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to boost take-up, but there are a few areas to look at.

Feeling embarrassed about having free school meals can be the reason why some pupils choose not to claim them. Think about the way you organise your lunchtime to make sure free school meal pupils cannot be identified by others. For secondary schools, cashless systems are a great way to do this. At primary schools, try and be as discreet as possible about payment.

Make sure you know the application process for free school meals. Get the contact details of the person at your local authority in charge of free school meals and keep a stock of application forms. If there is an online application facility in your area, you could arrange to have a computer available in a quiet room during parent evenings for people who do not have a computer at home or need help to fill in the form. Promote the savings and health benefits of free school meals and how to apply for them with posters, flyers and letters.

Change parent perception. For most people over the age of 25 who grew up in England, their experiences of school meals are not memorable for the right reasons. Invite parents into school to try a meal for themselves and show them how far school food has come.

Find out what pupils really think about school food; you may find there are some simple changes you could make straight away that encourage more pupils to give free school meals a try. If a new menu is introduced, let pupils sample the recipes and involve them in the decision making.

Make your dining room a calm and welcoming place to come and eat. Changes to lighting, layout or just a fresh coat of paint can work wonders. For best results, get pupils involved in the design.

What else should you be aware of?
For every child registered for free school meals, schools receive £600 in pupil premium funding specifically to support the needs of those pupils. Promote this to parents to encourage registration but remember to emphasise the importance of claiming the meal too. With the arrival of universal credit, it is possible that the eligibility criteria for free school meals will change.


Top tips