Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether free school meal vouchers will still be sent to parents and carers who decide to not send their child back to school as covid-19 lockdown restrictions as eased.

As schools open more widely, and their kitchens reopen, we expect schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.

Arranging food parcels helps ensure that eligible children have access to a healthy free meal and can also help the school to stay in contact with those families. We know that many schools have made excellent food parcel arrangements throughout this period.

If a school cannot provide meals or food parcels for children who are at home, they can continue to offer vouchers to families of eligible pupils.

Our guidance on free school meals during this period is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.