Commissioner and MPs call for extension of free school meals over summer holidays

Children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak urging him to reconsider the government’s decision not to extend the free school meal scheme for 1.3m children who receive them throughout the six-week summer break.

Last week, the government announced the scheme would cease when schools break up on 24 July, and that a £9m package of summer activities and lunches would be provided for 50,000 of the most deprived children.

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However, in her letter, Longfield said the decision not to find “a few million pounds to keep children fed" reflects "very poorly” on the importance the government places on children when it has already provided £132bn of extra spending in response to the coronavirus crisis.

In a blog for CYP Now, the commissioner states that extending the scheme for the duration of the summer holidays would cost a maximum of £87m.

Longfield states: “Your decision is exceptionally short-sighted. Financial pressures are one of many issues families are facing at the moment. Poor finances are often the trigger for families to move from coping to crisis. Thus, your decision is likely to compound the level of instability some children are experiencing at home and place more pressure on social care in the midst of their response to Covid-19. It is well established that poverty is one of the main drivers for children ending up in care, which is incredibly expensive for the government.

“A government committed to families, to fairness and to intelligent, preventative spending would not be denying children free school meals over the summer holidays. I hope you will reconsider.”

Separately, a cross-party group of 51 MPs have signed a letter by former shadow children’s minister Emma Lewell-Buck calling on the government to provide free school meals and the food voucher scheme throughout the summer holidays.   

The Govt must guarantee that children will not needlessly go hungry over the summer. Thank you to the 51 colleagues that co-signed. @Feeding_Britain @UKSustain pic.twitter.com/gJJtSqpMBf

— Emma Lewell-Buck MP (@EmmaLewellBuck) June 9, 2020

The letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson states that the proposed summer holiday activities programme will help just four per cent of children eligible for free school meals, which they say fails to recognise the impact that the pandemic has had on family’s economic wellbeing.

“The level of food insecurity in households with children has doubled compared to last year,” the letter states.

“Food Foundation research has found that over 200,000 children have had to skip meals because their family couldn’t access sufficient food during lockdown. Hunger is not limited to the school calendar; these vulnerable children need guarantees.”

The MPs are calling for the continuation of the free school meal voucher scheme and for the government’s summer activities programme to be extended so that every child is guaranteed access to nutritious meals during the holidays.

The calls have been backed by Conservative MP Robert Halfon, chair the Commons education select committee, who said extending the scheme is a “no brainer”.

In a statement, Halfon said: "It is vital that we maintain free school meal vouchers over the summer holidays.

"It will mean children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be able to be fed if they attend summer schools and catch-up programmes. It will ensure parents who have been made redundant or are looking for work are able to feed their kids.

"That's why I have written to the children's minister today to urge the government to extend the scheme over the upcoming summer holidays."

Since the UK lockdown was imposed, research suggests an additional 300,000 children are living in households that are “food insecure” – with some reports estimating that three million children could be affected by holiday hunger this year.

Last month, more than 100,000 people signed a petition set up by a 16-year-old girl calling for the scheme to be extended over summer.