Vulnerable children in Oxfordshire are more likely to receive free school meals than five years ago, according to new figures
The Children's Society warns that the pandemic has caused "long-term, devastating consequences" for those in low-income families.
Data from the Department of Education shows that by the end of the 2020-21 school year, 53 per cent of Oxfordshire's children in need were eligible for free school meals – up from 37 per cent at the same point in 2016-17.
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Free school meals are available to children who have parents receiving benefits or are on incomes of less than £7,400 – so an increase in the number of children on free school meals can be an indicator of declining living standards.
The pandemic coincided with a large year-on-year increase in pupils needing free school meals in Oxfordshire – between the end of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years, 10 per cent more children became eligible for them.
Azmina Siddique, Policy and Impact Manager at charity The Children's Society, said that the pandemic has been devastating for low-income families.
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She said: "While some year-on-year increase in the numbers of people qualifying can be put down to certain protections in the system as Universal Credit is fully rolled out, it is also likely the increase in free school meal uptake is due to growing need"
Ms Siddique added: “Free school meals provide vital help to families – saving them over £400 per child each year – but too many families simply don’t qualify, meaning hundreds of thousands of children are missing out."
Lynn Knapp Headteacher at Windmill Primary School in Headington explained there has not been a huge uptake in free school meals but has concerns that some people may not register to be eligible.
She said: “Through the universal free school meals system children get a free school meal, so our younger children between five and seven automatically get that meal.”
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She added: “Lots of us have seen a big dip in the number of children that are entitled to free school meals because of the way the universal free school meals system is implemented, so many people have not registered to be eligible for the free meal.”
Last year a report from the Child Poverty Action Group, a charity tackling child poverty, estimated that across the UK around one million children in poverty did not have access to free school meals due to high eligibility criteria.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We want to ensure every eligible child has access to free school meals, which is why we have expanded access to them more than any other government in recent decades.”
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