A new report into how the government is rolling out Universal Credit has revealed that around 160,000 children currently receiving free school meals will no longer be eligible. The IFS claims that the refusal to increase the £7,400 earnings cut off point will see 100,000 children losing out on free school lunches by 2022 and a further 60,000 children will miss out due to other changes to the benefits system.
Currently, all children in Year 2 or below get a free school meal, after Year 2, children qualify for free school meals if their parents receive income support, job seekers allowance, employment support allowance or the full allocation of child tax credits, but Universal Credit abolishes all these benefits. The government has said the eligibility cap will be set at £7,400 meaning that anyone who earns a penny over, will not be able to claim for free school meals.
The IFS calculates that while 210,000 children who would not have qualified for free school meals previously, will now be eligible, about 160,000 children who would have qualified will be ineligible. In a debate on the issue, MPs claimed that no child who currently receives a free school meal would lose their entitlement, but the IFS has said that some children will lose out when they leave primary school, as eligibility is reassessed and this will be done under the new criteria.
According to the Government’s consultation published in March: “Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants that no longer meet the eligibility criteria at that point (because they are earning above the threshold) will continue to receive protection until the end of their current phase of education (eg. primary, secondary).”
It is this quote that has left some ambiguity about the plans for free school meals.
The IFS has responded by saying: “Children who are currently in Year 2 or below will still be at primary school by the time that Universal Credit rollout has finished. Therefore, based on the Government’s consultation quotes, our understanding is that once they hit secondary school, it is possible for them to lose FSM entitlement.
“Technically, these children are not currently receiving means-tested Free School Meals, because they are universal for Year 2 and below in England and Scotland, but nevertheless, they are receiving free school meals, in some cases would have continued to receive them under the old system, but will not do so under the new one, once they hit secondary school.”
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