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Written Question
Free School Meals: Eligibility
Friday 15th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of local authorities using data proactively to identify and register children eligible for free school meals.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities but continues to engage with key stakeholder on this issue.


Written Question
Free School Meals
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 165185 on Free School Meals, whether any complex data, systems, financial and legal implications are still a barrier to the rollout of auto-enrolment.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Maximising the take up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an Eligibility Checking System has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at auto-enrolment and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints, which still remains an important consideration.


Written Question
Free School Meals
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to assess the suitability of (a) opt-out and (b) opt-in models for free school meals eligibility where they are being provided as a universal benefit to all children.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals (FSM) is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that may be entitled to FSM but do not make a claim, and so is not currently in a position to provide data-sets on levels of under-registration for FSM.

The department has looked at the issue of under-registration and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.

The department is currently aware of a number of different approaches being trialled by local authorities to maximise take up of FSM. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities, nor has the department endorsed any particular approach to increasing FSM take-up for benefits-related FSM and universal approaches, but the department continues to engage with key stakeholders on this issue.


Written Question
Free School Meals: Registration
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide data sets to (a) City of York Council and (b) each other local authority showing levels of under-registration for free school meals.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals (FSM) is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that may be entitled to FSM but do not make a claim, and so is not currently in a position to provide data-sets on levels of under-registration for FSM.

The department has looked at the issue of under-registration and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.

The department is currently aware of a number of different approaches being trialled by local authorities to maximise take up of FSM. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities, nor has the department endorsed any particular approach to increasing FSM take-up for benefits-related FSM and universal approaches, but the department continues to engage with key stakeholders on this issue.


Written Question
Free School Meals
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

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 introducing automatic enrolment for free school meals.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals (FSM) is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that may be entitled to FSM but do not make a claim, and so is not currently in a position to provide data-sets on levels of under-registration for FSM.

The department has looked at the issue of under-registration and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.

The department is currently aware of a number of different approaches being trialled by local authorities to maximise take up of FSM. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities, nor has the department endorsed any particular approach to increasing FSM take-up for benefits-related FSM and universal approaches, but the department continues to engage with key stakeholders on this issue.


Written Question
Free School Meals
Thursday 7th March 2024

Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to support local authorities piloting an opt-out model for free school meal registration.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals (FSM) is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an ‘Eligibility Checking System’ has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that may be entitled to FSM but do not make a claim, and so is not currently in a position to provide data-sets on levels of under-registration for FSM.

The department has looked at the issue of under-registration and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.

The department is currently aware of a number of different approaches being trialled by local authorities to maximise take up of FSM. The department has not provided formal guidance to support these activities, nor has the department endorsed any particular approach to increasing FSM take-up for benefits-related FSM and universal approaches, but the department continues to engage with key stakeholders on this issue.


Written Question
Free School Meals: Eligibility
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Peter Aldous (Conservative - Waveney)

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 permitting the proactive use of data by local authorities to identify and register children eligible for free school meals.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Maximising the take up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an Eligibility Checking System has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.


Written Question
Free School Meals: Eligibility
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the potential merits of permitting the proactive use of data by local authorities to identify and register all children eligible for free school meals.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an Eligibility Checking System has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.


Written Question
Free School Meals: Eligibility
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the proactive use of data by local authorities to identify and register all children eligible for free school meals.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.

To support this, an Eligibility Checking System has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities.

The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints.


Written Question
School Milk
Tuesday 27th February 2024

Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the provision of the Nursery Milk Scheme to finish at the end of the reception academic year rather than when individual children reach the age of five.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Nursery Milk Scheme allows early years childcare settings, such as childminders and nurseries, to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk to children under five years old, who attend their childcare setting for at least two hours per day. Schools are also allowed to claim under this scheme, in respect of pupils under the age of five years old. There are no current plans to extend the scheme to cover other school pupils.

The School Food Standards require lower-fat or lactose free milk to be available in all schools. From the age of five years old onwards, pupils eligible for benefits-based free school meals are also eligible for free school milk. In addition, the school milk subsidy scheme subsidises the cost of milk and certain milk products for children in primary and secondary schools, including over five-year-olds. This means that participating schools can sell the products in schools at a lower price. More information on this scheme is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-milk-subsidy-scheme