THOUSANDS of children living in poverty in Barnsley are not eligible for free school meals because the qualifying criteria is ‘so restrictive’, according to a charity.
Each local authority has at least 1,000 school-age children who are missing out due to the criteria.
In Barnsley, the figure stands at around 3,000 children.
Overall in Yorkshire and the Humber region 70,000 children in poverty are ineligible for free school meals.
In the Mayoral combined authorities the numbers are 60,000 children in West Yorkshire, 16,000 in South Yorkshire and 5,000 in York and North Yorkshire.
The report from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and The Food Foundation urges local leaders to do everything they can to ensure more children get a free lunch but say the onus is squarely on the UK government to expand provision of free school meals and end classroom hunger.
Infants are guaranteed a free school meal in England but children in year three and above in households on universal credit must have a household income below £7,400 per year - before benefits and after tax - to qualify.
This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite inflation.
The charity’s head of education policy, Kate Anstey, said: “In every corner of Yorkshire and the Humber there are children going without the food they need because the qualifying criteria for free school meals is woefully inadequate and outdated.
“Children’s well-being is being compromised by a cruel means-test in the middle of the school day.
“With so many families counting every penny, local leaders must do what they can to expand access to free school meals but ultimately this is on the UK government.
“Ministers must reform the system and work towards eliminating means-testing in the dining hall so that every child has an equal chance to learn and thrive and struggling families get some desperately needed breathing space.”
Shona Goudie, policy and advocacy manager at The Food Foundation, said more needs to be done to support children in Barnsley - referring to the current system as a ‘postcode lottery’.
She added: ““It is deeply unfair that so many children in Yorkshire and the Humber are being left behind, missing out on free school meals despite living in poverty.
“While Scotland, Wales and London are all making free school meals available to more children in primary schools, the rest of the country is trapped in a postcode lottery where children are left to go without a nutritious, filling lunch at school.
“We call on the three metro mayors in Yorkshire to take responsibility for advocating for these children by calling on national government to fairly expand free school meals to more children across the country.
“In the interim, they have a duty to explore how they can use their powers and resources to introduce provision of a hot, nutritious lunch for children in their regions to reduce stark health inequalities, as well as ensure children can concentrate in class and reach their full potential.”
