Free School Meals: Coronavirus

(asked on 23rd March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the proportion and number of children in receipt of free school meals who will not be attending school during the covid-19-related closures; and (b) what steps his Department is taking to ensure those children are provided with alternative meal provision.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 21st April 2020

Under the benefits-based criteria, there are currently around 1.3 million pupils eligible for and claiming a free school meal. The continuing provision of free school meals to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government.

Where schools and other educational settings remain open for children of critical workers and vulnerable children, they will continue to provide free school meals to attending children who would normally receive them.

We have published guidance explaining what schools should do to make sure eligible pupils have continued access to benefits-related free school meals where the pupil has to stay at home due to school closures. This guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

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