By Tony O’Reilly-
Thousands of children in England are currently not receiving free school meals, despite meeting the official eligibility criteria, according to a significant new report. The Education Policy Institute (EPI) identified that many disadvantaged families struggle to register for this vital support. Social stigma is a primary reason, making some parents and carers understandably reluctant to complete the application process.
Not all eligible children are taking up free school meals. File pic: PA
Furthermore, a general lack of digital access or insufficient IT skills creates significant administrative challenges for other families. For parents with English as an additional language, language barriers also complicate the process of accessing England free school meals.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Dr. Tammy Campbell, co-director for early childhood and wellbeing at the EPI, emphasized the scale of the problem. She stated that there are “tens of thousands that are eligible for free school meals not receiving them” right now. Official figures released in January 2025 showed that almost 2.2 million pupils in England were eligible, representing 25.7% of all state-funded pupils. This figure increased by 77,700 pupils since January 2024, reflecting a growing need. Eligibility rates are highest in the North East, reaching 32.3%, and lowest inDr Tammy Campbell, co-director of early childhood and wellbeing at the EPI, emphasised the South East, which stands at 20.6%. Most recent government statistics confirm a record 4.5 million children across the UK are currently living in poverty .
The EPI report argues that the current low-income threshold fundamentally makes England free school meals a less meaningful measure of disadvantage. Households must earn less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits, to qualify for the scheme. David Huntingford, headteacher at William Ford Junior School in Dagenham, east London, highlighted the devastating practical consequences of this low threshold. He explained that many working parents need free school meals for their children but cannot qualify because they are actively working.
Mr. Huntingford worries that some parents might question whether they are “better off not working because of the benefits” they could receive. He also cited the complexity of the language used in the necessary application forms as another significant barrier to access. Speaking from experience in a London primary school where every child automatically receives a free school meal, Mr. Huntingford stressed the need to focus on vulnerable areas. “We need to look at the coastal areas, and more rural communities as well,” he said. He confirmed that children are hungry in these communities, suffering because they need that essential free school meal. Educators prioritize ensuring that children have food in their bellies. A hungry child will find it extremely difficult to regulate their behavior, their emotions, and their ability to engage in class and make academic progress.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
The EPI strongly recommends implementing a new national system of auto-enrolment and other crucial measures to fully address this systemic issue. Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, echoed these concerns, stating that measuring entitlement to free school meals does not accurately capture which children are growing up in poverty. He believes too many children fall through the cracks, saying eligibility criteria exclude many, while registration processes create unnecessary barriers to access. This failure also prevents schools from unlocking the vital funding they need to properly support their pupils.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education (DfE) responded by highlighting the government’s historical commitment to tackling child poverty. They noted the government is now offering free school meals to every single child from a household that claims Universal Credit. “The new entitlement will see over half a million more children able to benefit from a free meal from next school year and lift 100,000 children out of poverty,” the spokesperson stated.
They confirmed the government is also upgrading its eligibility checking service to make it easier for families to claim free meals. They promised to continue working closely with the sector as they review wider disadvantage funding.The EPI compiled its data from several major national datasets. The EPI report clearly outlines the challenges faced by families trying to access this crucial support. Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into the proposed auto-enrolment system or look at regional disparities in free school meal eligibility.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar