Free school meals Archives - The Stray Ferret

‘Parents must accept responsibility for feeding their children’, says councillor

Parents must accept some responsibility for feeding their children nutritious meals, a council’s leadership has been told, amid concerns that a lack of nutrition is linked to poor behaviour and a rise in school exclusions.

North Yorkshire County Council’s deputy leader Cllr Gareth Dadd questioned what the authority was doing to promote parent responsibility as the meeting was told the council was working on a number of fronts to teach both pupils and other residents about providing wholesome meals.

At a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s executive, Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said:

“I am quite convinced, anecdotally, that food is critical, and often children that are disruptive in class is a result of them not having breakfast.”

In response, executive members highlighted a range of of schemes promoted by the council, including breakfast clubs, school programmes, adult education initiatives and projects run by leisure services.

Cllr Dadd said:

“I hear a lot about breakfast clubs, I hear a lot about nutrition within the state provision in schools and the like. What work are we doing as a directorate to promote parent responsibility in terms of nutrition, in terms of feeding children with a balanced and controlled diet?

“Are we putting a similar amount of effort into that, because it seems to me, if I can make a slightly controversial statement, that the focus is always on the state, the council, everybody else to fulfil that obligation, when actually it’s a two-way street, is it not?”

Director of children’s services Stuart Carlton said he was certain of links between children’s behaviour and attainment at school and their security at home, whether that be food or family stability.

He added children were taught nutritional values at schools and the council oversaw the provision of healthy school meals and provided advice about packed lunches.

The concerns follow a group of 150 headteachers last week urging Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to increase school breakfast funding by £18m at next month’s budget, saying pupils are disrupting lessons as hunger was getting worse.

The letter warned how the national school breakfast programme would only be available to a quarter of the 10,000 schools across England that experience high levels of disadvantage.

The warning came as the Local Government Association highlighted how 215,000 eligible children were not receiving free school meals.

A meeting of NYCC’s executive had heard the county had seen almost 2,000 suspensions from schools during this academic year so far, which represented a 29% increase on the previous year.

At the same time, following a drive to promote the take-up of free school meals by the council, the number of pupils receiving food had risen, but so had the number of children who were eligible.

A Department for Education spokesman said its breakfast programme was a lifeline to families.

He added:

“We know this supports attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn, which is why we’re investing up to £30m in the programme, to help up to 2,500 schools in the most disadvantaged areas.”

Eligibility for free school meals in Harrogate district rises by 50% since pandemic

The number of children eligible for free school meals in the Harrogate district has risen by 50% since before the start of the covid pandemic.

The figures, obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service through a freedom of information request, highlight the financial pressure many families face due to rising food, energy and housing costs.

To qualify for free school meals a parent of a child who is in year three or above must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.

All children in reception, year one and year two automatically receive free school meals through the Universal Infant Free School Meal Scheme.

At the end of 2019, the number of children eligible for free school meals in the Harrogate district was 1,794 — representing 8% of all children. But by the close of 2022 this figure had risen to 2,715, taking the overall percentage to 12%.

The figure is still far below the national figure of 22.5% but Dawn Pearson, area manager at Harrogate District Foodbank, told the LDRS more working parents in the district are in need of help to feed their children.

She believes the situation will not improve without “drastic” measures to improve wages and reduce inflation. Ms Pearson said:

“It’s getting worse. People are struggling and it’s a bad time for everyone. If you’ve got children they are always in need. There’s school uniform, breakfasts, lunch and dinner. Things now cost a lot”.

A council spokeswoman said the increase in eligible children for free school meals was down to factors including the introduction of Universal Credit and the effects of the pandemic. She said:

“In April 2018, the new Universal Credit was rolled out and nationally, children were able to remain on free school meals as they continued through their present school even if families’ overall income increased, to mitigate the impact.

“Increases in people meeting the income threshold for free school meals during the first year of the pandemic could potentially be linked to the effects of the pandemic.
The county council has been on a drive to improve take-up of those entitled to free school meals after it was revealed that one in five children who are entitled to the benefit are still not receiving it.”

The spokeswoman added:

“We would like every family eligible for free school meals to take up that offer. Last year we launched an extensive campaign to encourage this. School catering teams can provide support with issues such as food sensitivities and help children enjoy new foods. They provide children with nutritious healthy food which can help them stay focused on learning and keep up their energy levels throughout the day.”

Free school meals children will not face stigma, says North Yorkshire County Council

Parents struggling to make ends meet during the cost of living crisis have been told their children can have free school meals without facing any social stigma.

North Yorkshire County Council’s director of children’s services, Stuart Carlton, said the authority was talking to both parents and schools as part of a drive to improve the 78% take-up from those entitled to free school meals.

It comes amid concerns that increasingly large numbers of those eligible will not take up the support.

A meeting of the authority’s executive heard concerns were mounting over the rate of take-up. It comes as the number of those eligible for the meals is set to significantly increase in the coming months as inflation and soaring energy bills leave family budgets increasingly stretched.

Ripon Ure Bank and Spa division Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Brodigan questioned what the authority was doing to find out the reasons behind more than one in five of eligible children’s parents not accepting free school meals.

She also pressed the council’s leadership about what was being done to encourage take-up and what support was being offered to those just outside the criteria to qualify.

The council’s executive member for education, Conservative councillor Annabel Wilkinson, said the 15.4% of pupils already eligible for free school meals was forecast to rise due to the cost of living crisis.

She said:

“We have recognised that there have been some barriers and sticking points in the application process and we have addressed those to make it easier for people to apply and been promoting that extensively.

“As schools go back I’m sure that they will encourage that because obviously they get the pupil premium from people that receive free school meals.”

She said the council was also offering other support, such as its Local Assistance Fund, to those facing financial difficulty and had also simplified the process for applying for free school meals.

Mr Carlton added while the take-up of free school meals had remained at about 20% below the number available for some years, there was a concern “with the numbers going up so significantly with the parents who have not had to access this before”.

He said:

“There are issues of this feeling like a stigma and something that they are embarrassed about. We have talked to our schools and have worked with our catering service to make free school meals non-stigmatising.

“I would say to any parent if you are entitled to a free school meal please please take it up. If you are worried about any stigma or embarrassment please just talk to your school. It has changed from what it was like 20 years ago. Children can access a free school meal and no one would know any different.”

Fraction of free school meals children accessing school holidays scheme

Less than a quarter of children eligible for free school meals have accessed a high-profile holidays activities and food programme in North Yorkshire.

Council officials have put the issue down to a lack of public transport in rural areas, an insufficient number of groups and a perceived social stigma among parents.

A meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s young person’s scrutiny committee heard while the Department for Education had given the authority £1.36m to support healthy eating and activities during school holidays this year, 85% of the funding must be spent on youngsters in receipt of benefits-related meals.

Such is the weight given to ensuring children from poorer backgrounds are the focus of the scheme, which was launched following a campaign by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, that the amount of funding is based on the number of eligible children in the local authority area.

Councillors were told although 2,554 children eligible for free school meals had attended the county’s Food, Entertainment, Art and Sport Together (Feast) programme last summer, they represented just 22% of the county’s children in receipt of free school meals.

The children receiving free school meals had been vastly outnumbered by 3,778 children attending whose parents did not receive benefits.

The meeting heard the “significant challenge” over reaching children from poorer families had been exacerbated by the number of children eligible for free school meals across the county over the last year rising by 25%, or by some 3,000.

The meeting heard the scheme was seen as vital for vulnerable children, it had been designed to ensure every child from less affluent homes took part in confidence-building activities and learnt about healthy eating.

David Sharp, chief executive of North Yorkshire Youth, said one of the main challenges in attracting primary-aged pupils to Feast schemes was the social stigma parents associated with their children being on the programme.

He said:

“It comes from parents not wanting their children to know that they on a programme, I’ve had that conversation with several, and also from peers – why have I got a letter and my friend hasn’t got a letter.”

Mr Sharp said Feast organisers were trying to create a strong brand that meant parents know about the provision without its promotion being targeted at them.

A lack of public transport in rural areas meant many North Yorkshire children had effectively been excluded from the scheme, the meeting was told.

Feast organisers said they were working on getting funding to transport children to groups and launch more localised activities.

Councillors were told the authority, charities and providers running the scheme had been given little time by the government to develop it last year and this year would see a significant increase in number of projects, places and activities on offer.

Pandemic sees increase in number of Harrogate district free school meals

An extra 350 children in Harrogate district secondary schools have become eligible for free school meals since the coronavirus pandemic began, figures reveal.

A total of 1,143 children were eligible in October 2021, compared with 796 in January 2020.

This means almost 1 in 10 children in the district are now eligible for free school meals. The national average is around 2 in 10.

The Stray Ferret obtained the figures from a freedom of information request to North Yorkshire County Council, the education authority for the district.

To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to the council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as child tax credit, income support or universal credit.

The issue of free school meals was highlighted following a campaign by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford.

Speaking at last week’s Harrogate and Knaresborough Area Constituency Committee, Helen Ingle, health improvement manager at NYCC, said the council was trying to encourage parents of key stage 1 age children to take up free school meals.

If a child is in reception, year one or year two they are automatically entitled to a free school meal.

Ms Ingle also said schools in the district had reported an increase in obesity since the pandemic began.

She said:

“[Covid] has had a massive impact on levels of overweight and obesity, we’re doing a lot of work around that. Schools are very concerned about healthy eating levels in schools and have noticed a change in children’s weight and eatings habits since covid.”

County council to offer food vouchers this May half-term

North Yorkshire County Council will offer food vouchers to parents who need them during May half-term.

The council has begun sending out supermarket vouchers to schools, including academies, as well as early years providers, childminders and care leavers in North Yorkshire.

The vouchers are worth £15 per child for the week.

The scheme is an extension of the government’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme that provided the vouchers to parents and carers in receipt of free school meals.

NYCC has received up to £338,000 which it estimates will benefit up to 20,000 children across the county.

Stuart Carlton, corporate director of children and young people’s services, said:

“The funding will ensure children in receipt of free school meals – and families who are struggling to provide food for children during the pandemic – can continue to cover the cost of food or other essentials such as utilities over the May half-term holiday.

“We estimate the latest round of funding will benefit up to 20,000 individuals across the county.”

To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.

The Stray Ferret revealed in December that since January 2018, the number of children in the district receiving free school meals has increased by more than 58%.

The issue of free school meals rocketed up the political agenda last year following a high-profile campaign by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford.

Extra cash for Harrogate district families struggling in pandemic

Families across the Harrogate district struggling to pay their bills could receive one-off support of £20 thanks to North Yorkshire County Council.

The money is in addition to the £15 per week food vouchers the authority will give to families entitled to free school meals.

It was revealed at a meeting of NYCC’s executive today that the government has provided additional funding to help families, and the authority agreed to let headteachers use their discretion about which families should receive the money.

NYCC’s deputy leader, Cllr Gareth Dadd, told the meeting:

“With the best will in the world, nine or ten of us sat round this virtual table do not know where those families are that are in real need.

“I would suggest that schools, headteachers, touch those families every day and would be better placed to help identify where it’s going to make the biggest difference: so just about managing, those who have perhaps have just lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic or whatever, that might need that bit more support…

“Quite often there are those that fall through the cracks – hard-working people that perhaps are just having a little bit of a bad time of it.”

The executive was originally going to vote on distribution of the food vouchers to families through the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, funded by the government. However, an amendment was made when additional funding was released to local authorities, enabling NYCC to add the £20 vouchers to support families struggling as a result of the pandemic.

The nine members of the executive voted unanimously in favour of the measure. They also agreed to allow the corporate director for children and young people’s services, Stuart Carlton, to use his discretion to allocate future funding through the scheme in consultation with the relevant executive member, without having to bring each decision to the executive for approval.

Meanwhile, a new Holiday Activities and Food scheme is set to be brought into effect to support families on benefits from the Easter holidays onwards.

The county council is working to develop a scheme of holiday clubs and activities, including providing healthy meals, for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Pilot schemes have been running elsewhere in the UK since 2018, but are only now being introduced in North Yorkshire. A report to the executive said:

“The rationale behind the scheme is that families may experience increased pressure points in holiday periods because of increased costs – such as food or childcare – and reduced incomes.

“This potentially leads to holiday experience gaps with children from disadvantaged families less likely to access organised out-of-school activities, more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health, and more likely to experience social isolation.”

The scheme proposes offering four weeks of activities in the summer and a week each at Easter and Christmas. However, the current situation with covid guidelines means the programme will be delivered virtually this Easter, using online resources as well as activity packs including sports equipment and healthy recipes.

NYCC has been awarded almost £1.2m of funding for the project for the coming financial year and will work with other organisations to deliver it, including North Yorkshire Police and community groups. Existing council resources, such as libraries and the early help service, will also be used.

The council could add to its funding through contributions from “philanthropists, businesses, supermarkets or other organisations”.

Any family in receipt of free school meals would be eligible for the holiday programme, though NYCC said it did not expect every family to apply.

Andrew Jones MP ‘shocked’ by ‘inadequate’ free school meals

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has spoken of his “shock” at the inadequacy of free school meals and called for urgent action.

A constituent in Knaresborough told Mr Jones she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days.

The Conservative MP said on his website this “simply isn’t good enough” and that he would ask children’s minister, Vicky Ford to investigate the issue “as a matter of urgency”. He added:

“There are reports that the companies distributing this food have been paid £30 for a week’s food but you could buy what my constituent received for a few pounds. Fortunately my constituent can manage this week but that isn’t the point.

“Surely it would have been better and cheaper to give parents a loaf of bread and the ingredients to make their own sandwiches rather than send supermarket pre-packs? It would have been more nutritious too.

“What has been sent seems to me to be completely inadequate. Whichever companies are being used to supply the meals need to buck their ideas up and do it pronto.”

Mr Jones voted against free school meals last year and his comments have drawn criticism from political opponents.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats tweeted:

“We were shocked that he voted against giving free meals to low income kids in the first place.”

Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party tweeted:

“Ten days worth of food costing £30! Cronyism in all its glory, profiteering from poverty and neglecting the very children that need to receive healthy, substantial food! Let’s hear our MP justify this!”

300 more Harrogate children receiving free school meals since pandemic

An extra 300 children in the Harrogate district received free school meals after the coronavirus pandemic began, figures reveal.

A total of 2,402 children received the meals in October this year, compared with 2,109 in January this year.

The Stray Ferret obtained the figures from a freedom of information request to North Yorkshire County Council, the education authority for the district.

To qualify for free school meals a parent must apply to North Yorkshire County Council with evidence that they are receiving a benefit, such as Child Tax Credit, Income Support, or Universal Credit.

Since January 2018 the number of children in the district receiving them has increased by over 58%.

Over 10% of children in the district are now receiving them, which is lower than the national average of 17.3%.

Harrogate District Food Bank project manager Lucy Stewart told the Stray Ferret that parents who work in Harrogate’s hospitality sector have been hit hard by covid restrictions.

She said:

“A lot of families live right at the end of their means. When you get furloughed and are on 80% of your income, a lot of us are not set up for living on that.

“People will have had to start claiming benefits, which triggers free school meals. The whole area will struggle because we rely so much on the conference industry normally.

“A huge industry has gone from the town and the fallout from that cascades down to working families in the hospitality industry.”

The issue of free school meals rocketed up the agenda this year following a high profile campaign by Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford.

A Labour motion to extend the provision of £15-a-week food vouchers to 1.4m disadvantaged children in England during holidays until Easter 2021 was voted down in the House of Commons in October.

Several food venues in Harrogate decided to offer families free meals, including Portofino, Major Tom’s Social, and Thug Sandwich.

The government launched a £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme for vulnerable families across England.

Harrogate shop ‘blown away’ by free school meals support

A Harrogate sandwich shop has been overwhelmed with support for its free school meals pledge.

Thug Sandwich, on Albert Street, set up a donations board at the weekend. Just a few days later it is filled with “free packed lunch” notes, all paid for by customers.

When someone is in need of a free school meal, they can use one of the notes as payment. The shop has asked people to get in touch beforehand.

Daniel Bell, one of the owners at Thug Sandwich, told the Stray Ferret:

“We set out to foot the bill ourselves but there were so many people who wanted to help. So far we have the equivalent of more than 200 packed lunches. It should not be businesses stepping up to do this, but we are happy to do our bit to help people.”

A packed lunch from Thug Sandwich can vary but will include a sandwich as well as a range of flapjack, fruits and fruit shoot drinks. So far the sandwich shop has handed out just over 20 of the free school meals.

If there are any donations left over at the end of the week, Thug Sandwich will take the monetary value to Harrogate District Food Bank.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council has confirmed it will continue to support vulnerable families using its existing funds.

Neil Irving, assistant director, policy, partnerships and communities, said:

“We have targeted funds that are available not just to children entitled to free school meals, but to anybody who is suffering financial hardship as a result of the pandemic or anything else. We have extended the fund during the pandemic and we may review that in future.”

How many other places do free school meals?

(Please make sure to check how long the offers are available for as some may vary.)

Art from the Heart, Harrogate is offering to drop off a parcel of essentials – message them on Facebook here.
Caffe Tempo, Ripon is offering a free lunch – message them on Facebook here.
Estabulo Rodizio Bar and Grill, Harrogate is cooking 100 free meals each day – collection is from the restaurant between 4-5pm.
Harrogate Fisheries is offering a free kids sausage and chips lunch meals between 11.30am – 1.45pm this week – ask for the deal when ordering inside.
Harrogate Tea Rooms is offering a free lunch – just head into the Tea Room for its no judgement offer.
Hazel House Guide headquarters is offering free, pre-booked meals – call April Martin on 07855802373 to book.
Indulge Deli Bar, Harrogate is offering a free hot or cold lunch – ask for the Marcus Rashford deal when ordering inside.
Konak Meze, Harrogate is offering free hot meals or essentials – message on Facebook here.
Major Tom’s Social, Harrogate is offering free kids pizzas between 12-4pm – find out more here.
Scarlett’s Vintage Tea Rooms, Knaresborough is offering a free packed lunch – ask for the deal when ordering inside.
Thug Sandwich, Harrogate is offering a free lunch – message on Facebook here.
The Forge Sandwich Shop, Ripon is offering a free packed lunch – message them on Facebook here.
The Harrogate CBD Company has joined forces with Mrs Smith’s Cafe in Jennyfields to provide a free lunch – go to the cafe or message them on Facebook here.
Ash Grove Guest House on Kings Road in Harrogate is offering free warm breakfasts – call them on 01423 569970

Please get in touch using contact@thestrayferret.co.uk to be added to the list

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How many other places do free school meals?