Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for free school meals to children who are educated otherwise than at school.

The Education Act 1996 places a duty on maintained schools and academies to provide nutritious free meals to pupils who meet the eligibility criteria, including being a registered pupil of a state funded school.

Free School Meal (FSM) provision should be made to eligible pupils either on the school premises or at any other place where education is being provided.

The Department expects schools to act reasonably in ensuring that their food provision accounts for medical, dietary and cultural needs. The Department has published statutory guidance, which describes the steps that schools may take to ensure this provision, such as the establishment of individual healthcare plans which may include special diets. The statutory guidance, ‘Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions’, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

The Department does not plan to expand FSM to include pupils who are home, or privately educated. The Department will continue to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.