The government is under fresh pressure introduce national auto-enrolment for free school meals, after a new report warned of a “postcode lottery” of take-up.
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) found that there are “significant variations” in how free school meals (FSM) are accessed” across England, leaving some eligible children missing out.
The report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, calls on the government to adopt a national auto-enrolment scheme, whereby all eligible families would automatically be registered for free school meals, unless they opted out.
It said this would address many of the inequalities in accessing FSM.
To be eligible for free school meals, families need to meet specific income criteria or receive certain benefits.
Last week the government announced a major expansion of FSM eligibility from September 2026, to all children in households claiming universal credit.
But the EPI wants the government to go further, with new legislation that enables auto-enrolment for families. They said this would significantly reduce the time and resources schools and local authorities have to dedicate to encouraging take-up.
Ruth Maisey, education programme head at Nuffield, said the report “highlights that simply extending free school meals isn’t enough to guarantee families receive what they’re entitled to. Centralised auto-enrolment is key to ensuring every eligible child benefits.”
Requirements on parents when registering for FSM depended on which school their child attended or which local authority in, the report found.
Vulnerable families struggle to sign up
In some council areas, parents must make their own application. But vulnerable families, such as those seeking asylum, faced multiple obstacles such as language barriers, lack of digital access and stigma.
On the other hand, some councils are already using an opt-out system of auto-enrolment. Schools Week has documented how some town halls have brought in extra pupil premium funding, which is based on FSM take-up.
In areas where this has been implemented, some councils have discovered many previously unregistered children.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said that after the expansion of FSM eligibility, “moving to a national system of auto-enrolment would be the next logical step to ensure that everyone who is now eligible under the new criteria will actually receive a meal and the intended benefits.
He added that auto-enrolment is something ASCL had “been calling for for some time, and has been shown to work well at a local level.
“We see no reason why a national system of auto-enrolment cannot be established relatively straightforwardly. This is something that would make a big difference to vulnerable families.”
Dr Kerris Cooper, senior researcher, early years and inequalities at EPI said: “The youngest children, who face the highest risk of poverty, will not benefit from this expansion in eligibility unless all children attending early education are also included and settings are supported to deliver this.”
Your thoughts