Tees Valley Educaton joins calls for equitable access to free school meals

Tees Valley Education (TVEd) has collaborated with nearly 100 organisations in a call to the Government to automatically enrol the 470,000 children in England who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) but are not yet signed up. This initiative aims to ensure eligible children receive a nutritious meal at school every day. The open letter, addressed to Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson and Secretary of State for Welfare and Pensions Liz Kendall, has been co-ordinated by Fix our Food, the Food Foundation, and Bremner & Co.

The letter urges the Government to use the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to create an automatic enrolment system for FSM, allowing all eligible children to receive their meals without the current barriers that prevent many from applying. Support for this call has come from 24 local authorities, as well as schools, charities, and universities. Tees Valley Education strongly backs this initiative, recognising that the funding for FSM is already available, and automatic enrolment would simplify access for families who face challenges such as complicated application forms, language barriers, or the stigma associated with signing up.

Katrina Morley, CEO at Tees Valley Education says,

“At Tees Valley Education, we stand firm in our belief that access to a healthy meal is a fundamental right, a vital foundation for dignity. This collective call demonstrates a further commitment to help ensure that no child is left behind, hungry, or without the resources they need to thrive”

At present, FSM is available to children from households earning under £7,400 annually, yet many eligible families are not enrolled. This is due to difficulties in navigating the application process, lack of awareness, and, in some cases, reluctance to apply. Additionally, the lack of automatic enrolment means that schools are missing out on vital Pupil Premium funding, which supports disadvantaged students.

A number of local authorities, such as Middlesbrough, have already taken steps to address this issue by using available welfare data to apply for FSM on behalf of families, based on the example set by Sheffield Council. While these efforts have shown positive results, the full implementation of such a system nationwide is still hindered by challenges such as data-sharing issues and resource constraints. Evidence suggests that automatic enrolment would significantly improve access to FSM for disadvantaged children, and Tees Valley Education fully supports this move towards a more streamlined and effective system.

You can read the open letter to Government in this link