Children and Families Act 2014 Committee: Call for Evidence

Written evidence submission by The Food Foundation – April 2022

About The Food Foundation

The Food Foundation is an independent charity working to address challenges in the food system. We work at the interface between academia and policy makers, and also work directly with citizens to ensure their lived experience is reflected in our policy proposals. We are independent of all political parties and business. We work with others who believe there is a problem with the system and want to change it.

The Food Foundation is submitting evidence in relation to Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) - Part 5 Section 106 of the Act.

Summary:

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced an obligation for all state-funded schools to provide free school lunches on request for all pupils in infant classes (i.e reception, year one and year two). This aspect of the Act has played a significant role in supporting the most vulnerable children, young people and families in England.

Question 1: To what extent has the Act improved the situation for the most vulnerable children, young people and families in England?

Impact of UIFSM:

UIFSM has resulted in increased take up of Free School Meals from 30-35% to 85% in pupils previously ineligible for Free School Meals (ref). There was also a small increase in take up of Free School Meals amongst children who were already eligible for Free School Meals prior to the introduction of UIFSM from 84% to 87% (ref). This suggests that UIFSM led to a reduction in stigma, which is a significant barrier to Free School Meal uptake in older children, by signalling that school meals are a desirable good.
School Meals are typically of higher nutritional quality than packed lunches. Whilst all school meals are required to meet the School Food Standards, less than 2% of packed lunches have been found to meet the School Food Standards (ref). Introduction of UIFSM means that more children are now receiving a healthy meal and better nutrition during the school day. Evidence shows that the UIFSM policy resulted in improvements in dietary quality, lowering consumption of foods associated with packed lunches (such as crisps) and some nutrients (such as total fat and sodium) (ref) - larger effects were seen in lower-income children.
UIFSM has been shown to reduce children’s bodyweight in the first year of school (ref). Childhood obesity rates have spiked during the pandemic, with obesity prevalence amongst reception age children rising from 9.9% in 2019/20 to 14.4% in 2020/21 (ref), meaning that measures to tackle childhood obesity are now more important than ever.
UIFSM has also been seen to reduce absence rates amongst children who are FSM registered (i.e. children who would remain eligible if FSM for infant-age children were means tested). These improvements amount to attending a whole additional day at school over the academic year. 60% of this improvement is due to reduced absences for illness and medical appointments (ref).
Children who take up UIFSM have been shown to have stronger educational performance, but there is not yet enough evidence to assess whether this is a causal relationship (rather than e.g. an effect of reduced obesity prevalence or reduce absence rates) (ref).
UIFSM reduces household expenditure for families not eligible for means-tested FSM by approximately £20 per month during term time (for a household with two adults and two children of whom one is receiving UIFSM), helping with the cost of living (ref). This saving supports households that face financial constraints, but which are not eligible for means-tested FSM e.g. those just above the income threshold for eligibility.
The introduction of UIFSM has ensured that no children in poverty in reception, year one and year two are falling through the cracks in Free School Meal eligibility criteria, preventing children in need from missing out. Children with No Recourse to Public Funds, who were previously ineligible for Free School Meals regardless of income (despite often being in poverty), have been able to qualify for Free School Meals and receive that essential safety net due to UIFSM. Older children with No Recourse to Public Funds continue to miss out on the protection of Free School Meals.

Question 2: If there were to be a Children and Families Act 2022, what should it include and what might be the barriers to implementation?

A Children and Families Act 2022 should build on the success of the introduction of UIFSM by expanding eligibility criteria for Free School Meals for older children.
Whilst UIFSM has ensured that no children in poverty in reception, year one and year two miss out on Free School Meals, many older children at risk of food insecurity are still unable to access this vital nutritional safety net. Amongst older children, analysis indicates that two in five children in poverty do not currently qualify for Free School Meals due to the earnings threshold (ref). This is increasing food insecurity, and worsening health and educational outcomes.
With costs of food and fuel both rising sharply, and amidst rising levels of childhood obesity prevalence and food insecurity, the Government needs to find innovative solutions to support families with children.
In The Food Foundation’s latest national survey of food insecurity levels we found that 14.2% of households with children had experienced food insecurity in the last six months (this compares with 10.8% of households overall) (ref). 2.5 million children live in these households.
Expanding Free School Meal eligibility in England would bring us in line with the policy progress made in both Scotland and Wales – both nations have now extended Universal Free School Meal Provision to all primary children. Northern Ireland is also exploring options to expand Free School Meals, including universal provision, and already has a means-tested eligibility threshold that is double that of England. Children in England are going to be left further behind unless the Government acts on Free School Meal policy. A recent survey showed overwhelming public support for Universal Provision (ref).
We realise that there are challenges to extending Free School Meals – for example, the fact that Free School Meals are linked to other funding streams like pupil premium. As suggested in the National Food Strategy (ref), there are options that could be considered if the Government deems the cost attached Pupil Premium once eligibility for Free School Meals is widened to be too high. These include capping the Pupil Premium budget annually, or freezing the number of children eligible for Pupil Premium in each school at 2021/22 levels until after the 2024 review following the completion of the Universal Credit transition, in which the Government could assess the best strategy for allocation of pupil premium.
Our recommendations:

Work towards a long-term goal of providing universally, comprehensively funded, healthy and nutritious school food, for all year groups
As a first step, raise the household earnings threshold for Free School Meal entitlement to £20,000/ all children from families in receipt of universal credit, so that more children living in poverty can benefit.

April 2022