The auto-enrolment of children for free school meals should be standard practice, a councillor has said after a successful trial. The scheme, run by Fix Our Food research programme and councils, has identified previously unregistered but eligible children, signing them up automatically.
As a result 2,500 more children in County Durham have begun to receive a free school meal since the auto-enrolment pilot started in September. Headteachers called it “the way forward” since it had helped pupils and their families.
Durham County Councillor Alan Shield said that it had been “so successful” that it has been hoped that auto-enrolment would become “standard practice.” Shield, the local authority cabinet member for equality and inclusion said that the council will work with other local authorities who would be following Durham’s lead.
More than 1,500 primary school children and just under 1,000 secondary school pupils, he said, have been enrolled by the pilot program. There was a three-week opt out period with only 16 families declining the offer.
Redcar and Cleveland Council and Middlesbrough Council had also taken part in the trial.
Headteachers said that the scheme took pressure off families and school staff who now no longer needed to put families forward to check if they were eligible.
Well-fed children were able to concentrate better, said Joanne Bromley, head teacher at King Street Primary School in Spennymoor. “It’s an opportunity for them to make sure that they’ve eaten something quite wholesome,” she said.
The scheme had also helped families struggling with paperwork or any “stigma” with free meals, according to Natalie Maughan, head teacher at Bowburn Primary School. “I think that is the way forward for our families,” Mrs Maughan said, adding: “There could be some stigma attached to [free school meals]. Parents might not want to fill in the form or they might not feel that they’re eligible.”
Signing up for free meals saves families an average of £400 per child annually, Durham County Council said. It also helps bring in extra funds for schools through the government’s pupil premium grant.
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