Struggling families to receive boost in new city council plans
Currently all eligible families are encouraged to apply for free school meals at the beginning of each school year.
But there is concern that some of those entitled to the service miss out, with national figures showing that one in ten eligible pupils across England are not registered.
Newcastle City Council will launch the process for introducing auto-enrolment across the city in January 2025 to maximise registration and ensure eligible children receive this vital support. Schools in the city will benefit from extra funding too.
It is the council’s latest commitment to struggling families after they allocated £1.1m from the Household Support Fund to fund food vouchers for up to 19,000 children and young people. This will help families and children over the coming Christmas holidays and during the February half term.
Councillor Lesley Storey, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Newcastle City Council said:
“It is a priority for us to ensure that every eligible child is registered for free school meals. It is crucial to the health and wellbeing of the city, so all our children and young people can maximise their potential.
“By introducing auto-enrolment, we are taking a proactive approach to support families most in need and secure additional funding for our schools.
“We look forward to confirming the timeline in the New Year and working with parents, carers, schools, and partners to make this a reality.”
Over 40% of Newcastle’s school children (more than 18,000 pupils) are already entitled to free school meals.
By adopting an autoenrollment process, the council seeks to ensure no eligible child and no school misses out. This approach builds on successful models adopted by other local authorities both in the North East and nationally.
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