The government has been urged to make a significant change in its plans Extend the food of free schools All students in England Universal loan,
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has said that ministers should go forward and start a national auto-enrollment system Free school foodTo reduce inequality.
The group found different variations in free school food registration practices across England. Their report funded by Nafield Foundation makes calls for a National Auto-Enrollment Scheme to register all eligible families.
The ministers have received a call after the announcement of a plan to expand free school food last week. Currently, home in England On universal debt To qualify for free school food, one should earn £ 7,400 per year (after tax and benefits) per year.
The expansion to be implemented in September 2026 is expected to make 500,000 more Children According to the government, eligible for free lunch.
Guardian Currently your children have to apply to get free school food, rather than that they are automatically enrolled.
The report states: “FSM (free school food) despite this expansion in eligibility, without further action from the government, children may continue to remember the free food they deserve.
“Registration interruptions and differences between registration practices in LAS means that children still face Inequality In access to free food. ,
The authors said: “In the context of obstacles, families face to apply to the FSM-an additional language, including English, confusion about eligibility, will eradicate these issues to a great extent.”
Despite efforts to promote registration, language obstacles and lack of digital access are reaching children who are required to prevent food.
According to the recent data published by the Education Department, in the last one year, additional 77,700 children were eligible for free school food.
In January in January, more than one (25.7%) students of four (25.7%) students were eligible for free school food, which was equal to 24.6%or 2.09 million to 2.17 million children in January 2024.
But the EPI report-which is based on survey and interview with local authorities and multi-council trusts in 2024 and in early 2025-where a child lives or goes to school, determines how difficult it is to register for free school food for families.
In some local authorities, the parents need to apply their own application, facing significant obstacles and if the circumstances are found to be ineligible on time when changes.
While living in others, they use local auto-narolment, which continuously identify the parents to identify the children entitled without relying on sharing details.
The report also found that some children who participate in nursery that maintains before and after lunch are missing from free food, which they deserve.
Senior researcher Dr. for early years and inequalities in EPI. Keris Cooper said: “Our research shows that the expansion of free school food eligibility is a very positive step, it should be more to ensure that all children are entitled to free food, actually can actually access them.
“First, families have still important obstacles to register for FSM, and where a child plays a huge role in the possibility of being registered.
“Second, the youngest children, who face the highest risk of poverty, will not benefit from this detail until all the children participating in elementary education are not included and the settings are not supported to give it.
“Introduction to national auto-neralment and inclusion of children in elementary education will be able to increase this expansion in FSM eligibility more meaningfully to increase access to more children in poverty.”
Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) General Secretary Peppe Diyasio said: “Free school food expansion, to include all children in homes on universal credits, is a positive step that recognizes that there are children living in poverty who are missing.
“Going to a national system of auto-narolment will be the next logical step to ensure that everyone who is now eligible under new criteria will actually get a meal and intended advantage.”
He said: “We do not see any reason that a national system of auto-neralment cannot be relatively upright.
“This is something that will make a big difference for weaker families.”
Last week, Education Minister Stephen Morgan told MPs in the Commons that the government will work to apply for the people.
He said that the announcement of expanding free school food was “an important, direct process for parents whether they are eligible”.