Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to increase the take-up of free school meals among eligible pupils.

Every child, regardless of background, should have the very best start in life. In 2014 the government extended free school meals (FSM) to disadvantaged students in further education institutions and introduced universal infant free school meals. The department wants all parents whose children are entitled to them to apply for them.

Guidance is provided to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that Universal Credit recipients can be made aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM.

The department provides an eligibility checking system to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities, and have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM.

The government wants to make sure those who are eligible for a free school meal claim it, and so it is important that it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility for FSM. The department is exploring what opportunities exist in the longer term to make FSM registration processes more efficient.