10,000 North East children living in poverty 'unable to access free school meals'

Analysis from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) states 10,000 children in the North East are living in poverty but cannot get free school meals. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Thousands of children living in poverty in the North East are unable to access free school meals according to new research.

Analysis from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) states 10,000 children in the region are living in poverty but cannot get free school meals due to "restrictive and outdated" eligibility criteria.

The charity has called on the Government to reform the qualifying criteria by setting up an automatic enrollment scheme and removing means-testing.

The Government have said it is committed to ending child poverty and are looking to set up breakfast clubs for primary school pupils as a priority.

However, CPAG claima England lags behind the other UK nations on free school meals.

Currently, infants are guaranteed a free meal but children in Year 3 and above in households on universal credit only qualify if their family’s income is below £7,400 per year (before benefits and after tax). The threshold has not changed since 2018 despite inflation.

The Government has said it is committed to tackling child poverty. Credit: PA

Kate Anstey, head of education at CPAG, said: "It’s hard to focus on your times tables when you’re hungry at school.

"But in every corner of the North East kids are going without the food they need because the qualifying threshold for free school meals is out of date and much too restrictive.

"In line with its mission to tackle child poverty and improve children’s well-being, the Government must urgently make free school meals available to every child that needs them and work towards removing means-testing entirely from the dining hall.

"We should be giving children the nourishment they need to succeed, not settling for what they can get by on."

In response to the analysis, the government has said it is working to address the issues so no child suffers during their education.

A spokesperson said: “This government has a clear mission to break down barriers to opportunity and remove the stain of child poverty from our country.

"As part of this, one of our first priorities is to deliver free breakfast clubs in every primary school to make sure children start the day ready to learn.

“We have launched a child poverty taskforce co-chaired by the Education Secretary and Work and Pensions Secretary, looking at longer-term actions to increase household income, bring down essential costs, and tackle the challenges felt by those living in poverty.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our work to ensure no child is left hungry, cold or has their future held back.”

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