Hungry Kids Miss Out On Free Meals And Struggling Schools Can T Help School Lunches
While the proportion of children eligible for free school meals (FSM) in England has jumped from 15% in 2019 to more than 22% this year, heads say the number of “invisible hungry people” – from families in poverty but not poor enough to qualify – has also increased. In addition to the 1.9 million children who are eligible for FSM, mainly because they live in households on benefits and with an annual income of less than £7,400, the Child Poverty Action Group estimates that there are 800,000 children in families below its threshold of poverty, with universal credit or other benefits but losing FSM....