Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have chosen their own alternatives to the free school meal voucher system.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

During this period, we are asking schools to support children who are eligible for and claiming benefits-related free school meals by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We know that many schools are successfully delivering food parcels or arranging food collections for eligible children, and we encourage this approach where it is possible.

However, we recognise that providing meals and food parcels is not a practicable option for all schools. That is why on 31 March we launched a national voucher scheme as an alternative option, with costs covered by the Department for Education.

Schools are best placed to make decisions about the most appropriate arrangements for eligible pupils, and this can include food parcel arrangements, provision through the national voucher scheme or alternative voucher arrangements. We do not hold details of how many schools are making arrangements outside of the national voucher scheme.

We are working very closely with our national voucher scheme supplier, Edenred, to improve the performance of the scheme. Edenred has reported that over £65 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme as of Monday 11 May. Edenred has also reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme as of Tuesday 28 April. We are very grateful to families and schools for their understanding and patience while we upgrade this service to meet increased demand.

These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

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