Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the increased rate of inflation and rising food prices, (a) on what basis the rate paid to schools for providing free school meals is calculated, (b) when she next plans to review that rate, (c) what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the increased price of food on (i) the ability of schools to provide free school meals and (ii) overall school budgets, (d) if she will make it her policy to increase the rate in line with inflation and (d) if she will make it her policy to extend free school meal provision to all pupils in order to help prevent a rise in food poverty.

Schools pay for the provision of free school meals (FSM) from their core funding allocations. Overall, core schools funding, including funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, is increasing by £4 billion in 2022/23 compared to the previous year, representing a 7% increase in cash terms per pupil.

The core allocations schools attract through the national funding formula (NFF) include funding in respect of the FSM factor. The FSM factor is intended to broadly reflect the costs schools face in providing school meals. Following extensive consultation when the NFF was first introduced, schools attracted £440 per pupil through the FSM factor in 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Each year, the department has set the NFF factor values to be used in the forthcoming funding year. Since the introduction of the NFF, the per pupil FSM rate has increased in line with forecast inflation in every year, as measured by the latest GDP deflator at the time.

The FSM factor is worth £470 per eligible pupil in 2022/23. This will increase to £480 in 2023/24. The factor values for each year are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs. In reviewing future FSM rates, many factors will be taken into consideration, including cost of living pressures and inflation.

The department also spends around £600 million on Universal Infant Free School Meals each year. The per meal rate has been increased from £2.34 to £2.41, and backdated to 1 April 2022, in recognition of increased costs.

The department continues to monitor the situation surrounding the rising cost of living whilst working with other government departments on support surrounding this issue. The department thinks it is right that provision is aimed at supporting the most disadvantaged, those out of work or on the lowest incomes. We do not have any plans to extend universal provision, but we will continue to review FSM eligibility to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them.