Government considers taking away free school meals from some children in poverty

Praxis, a charity working with migrants and refugees in London, is sounding the alarm over a government review that could end up taking free school meals away from thousands of children living in poverty because of their parents’ immigration status.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government took the welcome step of changing the rules so that some of these children could get free school meals. This was an important move, guaranteeing thousands of children one hot, freshly cooked meal per day.

However, this is a temporary rule change which has been under review for more than a year, and the Government have given no public indication of when it may conclude. At a time when prices are skyrocketing, piling pressure on family budgets, and child poverty is on the rise, taking free school meals away from some of the poorest and most vulnerable families in the country risks leaving thousands of children hungry.

Around 2 million people are affected by the Government’s ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ policy, which means they’re denied access to almost all government support, even if they’re working for little pay, or face a crisis. It’s estimated that 390,000 children are affected by this policy.

The No Recourse to Public Funds policy has been shown1 to negatively impact children in particular, because it stops families from accessing support that is meant to protect them from poverty, including free school meals.