Headteachers shed light on divide in school meal access across England

Our latest Two Cities polling revealed that one in five teachers in England has seen an increase in the number of children who are too hungry to learn since the start of the academic year. We also found that a quarter (25%) of teachers have either personally bought food for hungry children or know a colleague who has.

Our data, combined with conversations with schools nationwide, has highlighted a postcode lottery in access to free school meals. Children in London and Wales, as well as some age groups in Scotland, are entitled to universal free school meals in primary education, but children in other parts of the country are not.

To further explore this issue, we spoke with two primary school headteachers - one in London and the other in Liverpool. 

Liverpool: Headteacher Terri Cheung

Terri Cheung is the Headteacher at Phoenix Primary School in Liverpool. We asked Terri about the issue of child hunger and how her school is going above and beyond to ensure children don’t miss out on vital nutrition. 

What impact does regularly being hungry in class have on children?

You can tell when children haven’t had enough good nutrition by how lethargic they become in the classroom. Children who are prone to dysregulation are much more likely to become dysregulated. Hunger makes it harder to concentrate, no matter how exciting the topic. If a child’s mind wanders during a key part of the lesson, it can affect their learning the next day, which can quickly snowball.

We know that so many families are struggling with the cost of living and that paying for school meals or packed lunches adds to that burden. Is this something you’re seeing in your school community?

Many of our families can’t afford school meals, so they provide packed lunches instead. Our school meals are relatively cheap at £2 per day for each child, but that’s still £40 a month for a family to pay if they’re not accessing free school meals. And if you've got more than one child, which most of our families do, then it's £80 or £120 and so on. A packed lunch is more affordable for them, but this is often reflected in the quality of the meal, which tends to be low in nutritional value.

Meanwhile, each day, our school cook prepares delicious, nutritious hot meals that you can smell in the air as soon as you step into the hall. Children are very observant. I imagine it’s hard for children who wish they could have hot school dinners to watch their friends enjoying those tasty meals.

Our Two Cities polling reveals that schools and individual teachers across England are personally covering the cost of feeding hungry children who don’t qualify for free school meals. Is your school having to fill those gaps too?

Sadly, more and more children are coming in with packed lunches lacking in what they need to get them through the school day. Our school is stepping in to cover the cost of a school meal for them in those cases. But this is not sustainable. Despite increased funding for schools, rising costs for resources, staffing, and everything else means any extra money we pay out for school food is coming out of an already very stretched budget. 

One of the main problems we face is that many children entitled to free school meals aren't receiving them because they’re not registered. We send out letters and speak to parents to remind them about applying online, but families can still struggle to overcome various barriers. For example, many of our families speak English as a second language, and translating information into the 40 languages spoken in our school community for a newsletter is not easy.

In other cases, we have families who are clearly struggling with basic living costs, and you would assume they’d qualify for free school meals, but when they sit down with us to fill out the registration form, we discover they earn just above the current income threshold. 

An evaluation found that London’s universal primary free school meals policy is having a positive impact on children’s health and learning and family finances. How important is it that these benefits can be felt in other parts of the country too?

I think it's vital that we make sure other parts of the country feel this impact too because there's already a north-south divide. There’s also a class divide - children from wealthier families tend to do better through the rest of their lives. If we’re serious about closing that gap, we can’t just close it in the capital city, we have to close the gap everywhere. I also think we're giving out a very poor message to children about equity and fairness. The children in our school feel it’s unfair that children in other parts of England and across the UK can access universal free school meals while they can't.

London: Headteacher Jared Brading

Jared Brading is the Headteacher at Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s RC Primary in London. Children at both his schools benefit from the London Mayor’s universal primary free school meals offer, introduced in 2023. We spoke to Jared about the impact this policy has had on the entire school community. 

How have universal primary free school meals in London benefited families? 

At Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s Primary, more than half of the children were entitled to a free school meal before the Mayor’s policy. But what the universal offer has done is increase the uptake of school meals from around 75% to more than 90% at both schools, which is really good. 

This policy has had a significant impact on families struggling with the cost of living. Parents no longer have to worry about setting aside money for their child’s lunch, knowing they’ll receive a free nutritious, hot meal every day, complete with a choice of salad, fruits, and water. For those who previously had to prepare packed lunches every morning, life has become a little easier. 

We’re also fortunate enough to offer a free breakfast grab-and-go option for all children every day through Magic Breakfast. Additionally, we have a food bank and offer food vouchers during holiday time so families who need extra support can get it. 

How has the universal offer improved the overall school food experience for children? 

More children are having access to nutritious lunches every day. It's far easier for caterers to consistently deliver healthy food 190 days a year than for parents to prepare nutritious packed lunches every morning. Also, with such a high school meal uptake, caterers can take advantage of economies of scale, allowing them to provide even higher quality meals with the money available. 

Introducing free school meals for all children also means there’s no distinction between those from low-income families and those who can afford to pay. We as a school have always worked very hard to avoid any stigma. Regardless, in the past, children would sometimes pick up on their free school meal status, which could make them feel different. Now, that’s gone - everyone eats the same meal, with no labels attached. 

In what ways has the scheme impacted the classroom environment? 

Teachers now have the comfort of knowing that everyone has come back to class having eaten a quality hot lunch. Children are able to stay focused in the afternoons, which improves their ability to learn. And the same is true in the morning lessons after having a good breakfast. 

Most of our PE sessions are in the afternoon, so having a nutritious school lunch means the children have the fuel to do strenuous amounts of exercise. In short, every child is nourished and ready to thrive, both in the classroom and on the sports field.

Thanks to Terri and Jared for highlighting the differences in school meal access at their schools. This disparity is reflected across the country. But we can do something about it.

Please write to your local MP: tell them you believe that every child should have access to delicious and nutritious school meals, no matter where they live. 

Click here to write to your MP using our template letter (it takes less than one minute).