Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans automatically to enrol children on the pupil premium.

We know there are some concerns that schools could be missing out on valuable pupil premium funding following the introduction of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) and under registration for free school meals (FSM). However, school census data shows that overall; the introduction of UIFSM has not adversely affected infant registration rates.

We want to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility for FSM and my department is exploring what opportunities exist in the longer term to make FSM registration processes more efficient.

The current FSM eligibility criteria requires a claim for the meal to be made on behalf of the pupil. We know that schools and local councils have worked hard over recent years to encourage all eligible families to register for FSM, to ensure that schools receive the full amount of pupil premium funding to which they are entitled. It is possible for schools to identify these pupils, for example through their enrolment processes. We have highlighted and disseminated best practice from these schools and local councils for other schools to use, including a model registration form and guidance.