‘Massive’ effort sees 1,000 more Devon pupils receive free school meals

A thousand Devon pupils who should have been entitled to free school meals but weren’t getting them will now do so thanks to a dogged effort by the county council to unravel a pile of red tape.

A new ‘auto-enrolment’ scheme means children from any families whose oncome levels qualify for free school meals will automatically receive them, although families can opt out if they wish.

In January this year, the council was aware of around 20,000 pupils who already received the meals, but the recent work to overhaul the system means some 21,064 pupils are now on the list.

It is also better news for schools, as every pupil who receives free school meals attracts a ‘pupil premium’, with estimates the extra numbers will mean an additional £1.5million in funding for Devon schools.

It also makes Devon the first ‘two-tier authority’ in the country to secure free school meals auto-enrolment, meaning it is the first authority to do so in places where both county and district councils operate.

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Councillor Julian Brazil, the leader of Devon County Council, said securing the change had been a ‘massive team effort’ and thanked district councils and schools for their help as well as initial work by the previous administration.

“Our officers have shown true dedication and drive to make this happen as it needed government sign-off and there were various bureaucratic hurdles in the way,” he said.

“Issues included government departments trying to locate and then allow access to the databases that held the details of all those who qualify for free school meals.”

He added: “Having a decent meal every day is vital to all young people. It’s extremely important for their education and learning.  Children are more attentive, able to focus and retain information when they’ve had a good meal.

“The problem with the system until now is that it’s relied on the families to apply. That requires them to know they qualify, while the application process itself has been quick and simple, the process has been a barrier for some.

“Now, families who we know are eligible for free school meals are automatically enrolled to receive them. They can then choose not to have them if they wish.

The Government has said it will extend eligibility for free school meals to all households receiving Universal Credit next September, regardless of income level. That change is expected to make several thousand more pupils in Devon eligible.

Moira Marder is chief executive of the Ted Wragg Trust, which has 18 schools across Devon.

She said the initiative to implement auto-enrolment will make a fantastic change to young people's lives and their education.

Ms Marder said: “We’re proud to have supported Devon County Council to introduce this important policy which will truly transform the lives of young people across Devon.

“We know that when pupils are well nourished, they are better able to learn and succeed in the classroom. Auto-enrolment will make sure that administrative burdens are not a barrier to children accessing the support they need and this is crucial to our mission to transform lives.”

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