Headteachers association welcomes the announcement but expresses dismay that enrolment will still not be automaticAround 50,000 more school children in England could get free school meals next year, after the government announced a switch to means-testing to cope with the roll-out of its controversial universal credit programme. The announcement ends the considerable uncertainty around eligibility for free school meals (FSM) and the impact of the government’s much-delayed universal credit package replacing the existing suite of benefits. “We estimate that our proposals would make around 50,000 more pupils eligible for free school meals by the time universal credit is fully rolled out,” the DfE said. The DfE said it would guarantee that all children currently receiving free meals would continue to do so. “As a minimum, we will therefore issue clear caveats on the use of this data during the rollout period and up until the end of the protected status period of the current free school meals cohort, particularly at school level.”

Source: The Guardian November 16, 2017 19:52 UTC