Written evidence from Children’s Food Campaign (CFA0114)

HOUSE OF LORDS CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ACT 2014 SELECT COMMITTEE INQURY

Written Evidence Submission to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Children and Families Act 2014

Introduction

All children have the right to a safe, healthy and happy childhood, including access to nutritious, affordable and culturally appropriate food.  The Covid-19 emergency has further exposed the levels of food insecurity, as well as risk of overweight and obesity. Current increases in prices of food, housing, energy and transport, against which benefit and wage levels are failing to keep pace, will further exacerbate dietary inequalities for millions of families.

The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) for children in Key Stage 1 education. Sustain alliance and Children’s Food Campaign welcome the opportunity of this inquiry to respond specifically to Questions 1 and 2, specifically on the Act’s work on school meals, and recommendations for any future Children & Families Act or legislation on school food.

“My ambition is that every primary school pupil should be able to sit down to a hot, healthy lunch with their class mates every day. Millions of parents across the country are feeling the squeeze. Over the course of a year families spend over £400 lunch money for each child. I am determined to do all we can to help put money back in the pockets of these families. We will start with infant school pupils because teaching healthy habits young, and boosting attainment early, will bring the biggest benefits. Universal free school meals will help give every child the chance in life that they deserve, building a stronger economy and fairer society.”

Former deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP, announcing Universal Infant Free School Meals, 13 September 2013, later inserted into the Children and Families Act 2014.

1.             To what extent has the Act improved the situation for the most vulnerable children, young people and families in England? To the extent that it has not, is this because of the Act itself, its implementation or challenges which subsequently emerged, whether lasting or temporary?

The Act (Part 5, Section 106) introduced the provision of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in state-funded primary schools and special schools from September 2014, if they request them. This has ensured that up to the age of 7, all children are able to receive with a healthy and nutritious meal during the school day, regardless of their background. This lack of means testing treats nutrition as being as central to learning as a free desk, chair, books for learning, sports equipment during PE lessons etc. Given children are required to be in school for the whole day, this provision enables a communal, egalitarian lunchtime dining experience for children, without stigma or exclusion, and facilitates a whole school approach to food, linking meals, food education and learning.

The introduction of UIFSM followed piloting of free school meals in primary schools which showed that students in the pilot areas were on average 2 months ahead of their peers elsewhere, more pupils were reaching target levels in English and Maths, with the biggest improvements amongst children from less affluent families.

On health, the evidence from the pilots indicated a 23% increase in children eating vegetables, whilst crisp consumption dropped by 18%. This is not surprising given evidence that less than 2% of packed lunches meet nutritional School Food Standards[1].

According to academic evaluations, the introduction of UIFSM initially resulted in overall take up of school meals for KS1 increasing from 38% in 2013/14 to 80% in by 2015/16[2]. Parents also reported satisfaction with the policy which was helping them with both managing financial costs (FSM are valued at £440 per year per child) and time pressures (from having to shop for/prepare packed lunches), as well as supporting their children in building healthier eating habits. Subsequent research by the University of Essex indicated average take up increased not just for those previously not eligible for free school meals (from 30-35% to 85%) but also increased uptake for those already eligible (from 84 to 87%) by 2017/18. It also associated with a reduction in absences of FSM-entitled children of 1.2 days per year[3]. 60% of this reduced absence is due to illness or need for medical appointments.

However, the evaluation above also suggests that UIFSM may also have led to a decrease in take up of both paid-for meals and benefit-entitled FSM in KS2 in some schools. This is likely to be attributed to barriers in registration for FSM (which can be due to awareness, complexity of eligibility or not wishing to be identified as being in need) as well as families being able to meet the costs of paid-for school meals.

Until 2018, as part of the overall restructuring of family and child benefits, all children in families in receipt of Universal Credit were entitled to Free School Meals. However, from April 2018, a new eligibility threshold of £7400 net income (before benefits) was introduced for all pupils starting school. Transitionary protections for those who were already in the system and receiving FSM have been extended until March 2023. However, any child moving to a new phase of education (eg. From primary to secondary school) lose these protections.

The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that 2 in 5 children living in poverty are not eligible for Free School Meals under the current system. The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 7% of households experienced some level of food insecurity during 2020/21[4]. The Food Foundation’s own research finds similar, but also that levels of food insecurity have risen by 27% since 2020, from 6.9% to 8.8% of all households[5].

There is well understood evidence on the relationship between good nutrition and a child’s ability to learn, concentrate and succeed. Yet, despite this, food is the only part of the core school day which remains means tested. Research with pupils, parents, teachers and other school staff by organisations including Child Poverty Action Group[6], Children North East and Bite Back 2030 have variously indicated the complexities surrounding registration and uptake, experiences of stigma and inability to access healthy meal items, children incurring school meal debts, and children simply not taking up a meal or having a healthy alternative.

The issue of child food poverty came more strongly into the spotlight during the pandemic. In response to this, and to recommendations from the National Food Strategy, the Department for Education has expanded school meals provision by:

-                      Extending the school Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) from the original pilot to the whole of England, with provision for 4 days per week during 6 out of 13 holiday weeks (4 in summer, one at Christmas, one at Easter).

-                      Expanding entitlement on a permanent basis to some children from families living under the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) immigration condition, although this does not include undocumented children or those with irregular immigration status.

By contrast, in Scotland the Government committed to expand universal free school breakfast and lunches to all primary school pupils by August 2022, with a 365-day year approach to support for lower-income families during school holidays. In Wales, where universal breakfast provision already exists, the Government has pledged to expand universal primary meals over the forthcoming 3 years.

These commitments echo the Government ambition back in 2013/14 when Universal Infant Free School Meals seen as the first milestone towards ending means testing of school meals. However, it is clear that children in England now risk being left behind in relation to their right to access healthy, nutritious food at school.

Only in four London boroughs, already provide universal primary school meals – Newham, Islington, Tower Hamlets and Southwark. In Newham, take up of school meals went from 45% before introduction to around 90% today. Their Eat For Free programme also anchors increased numbers of good food jobs in the borough, at real London living wage or above, 86% of which are held by Newham local residents. Many boroughs would like to be able to expand entitlement, however without central Government funding, there are significant financial barriers faced by local authorities.

Finally, the value of Universal Infant Free School Meals has only increased from £2.30 to £2.34 per meal since their introduction in 2013. Given rising food inflation, labour and transportation costs associated with supply chains and ensuring living income in the catering sector, this urgently needs review. Whilst it may be possible for larger schools and multiple consortiums to provide meals without making a loss, there is evidence that this is not sustainable especially for smaller schools, those with in-house catering teams or seeking to procure more seasonal, local and higher welfare and environmental standards, in line with the NHS Eatwell Plate. The Local Authorities Catering Association (LACA) has advocated increasing the allowance to £2.51 per meal, whilst the Soil Association Food for Life Programme estimates that if the UIFSM cost had risen in line with inflation each year it should now be paying £2.70-2.80 per meal[7].

2.             If there was to be a Children and Families Act 2022, what might it do, and what might be barriers to implementation?

Any Children and Families Act 2022 must be courageous in addressing the rising levels of obesity and food insecurity, the disruption to children’s lives and education created by the Covid-19 pandemic and the current pressures of the cost-of-living crisis by ensuring our education system leaves no child behind.

The Food Foundation, a partner and member of the Children’s Food Campaign, conducts regular surveys of food insecurity levels, most recently finding that 14.2% of households with children had experienced food insecurity in the last six months[8] – this is equivalent to 2.5 million children.

Our recommendations:

-                      The Government should formally adopt a long term vision of universal, nutritious and healthy school meals for every pupil in a state-funded school, regardless of background, and build a comprehensive funding plan towards this goal.

-                      As a first step, the Government should commit to introduce universal primary school meals for all children in England within the lifetime of the current Parliament, bringing it into line with developments in Scotland and Wales, and the original vision of the Government when it announced UIFSM in September 2013.

-                      At the same time, it should expand entitlement for older children (secondary and 6th form/FE pupils) so that all children living in poverty are eligible.

-                      In doing so, the Government must also address the structure and level of funding for all school meals, enabling schools and caterers to ensure adequate nutritional standards of delivery, and supporting healthy, fair jobs in the sector. It should also move towards automatic enrolment of pupils f

Whilst this would require investment from central Government, we believe the benefits of such investment, if coupled with a ‘good school food’ vision, which includes health and nutrition, and sustainable procurement and catering supply chains. Economic cost-benefit studies of Sweden’s free school meal programme have indicated that 9 years of free school meals resulted in an overall 3% increase in lifetime income – rising to 5.8% for children in the lowest income quartile[9]. Rolling out universal primary school meals could enable schools in the adoption of whole school food policies that more effectively contribute to supporting healthy eating, food education and tackling obesity prevalence amongst children which has risen by a worrying degree during the pandemic.

Children’s Food Campaign

Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) aims to improve children and young people's health by campaigning for policy changes in our schools and communities that promote healthy and sustainable food environments. Children's Food Campaign is part of Sustain, the alliance for food and farming, and is supported by over 100 UK-wide and national organisations, including children’s and health charities and professional bodies, trade unions, school food experts and environmental organisations.

Sustain, the alliance for food and farming

Sustain is the UK alliance for better food and farming. We represent around 100 not-for-profit national organisations and many more at local level. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Sustain and its member organisations have been supporting community groups, food enterprises, food aid groups, schools and their caterers, local authorities, and government and industry liaison on the emergency food response. Sustain campaigns include the Food Poverty UK network, Food Power, Sustainable Food Places, Sugar Smart UK and Veg Cities.

May 2022