Darling offers free school meals to 500,000 more children

Alistair Darling today promised to offer free school meals (FSM) to an extra half a million primary school pupils.

The Chancellor made the offer, which will benefit pupils who were previously ineligible for the dinners, in his Pre-Budget report.

According to the 2009 school census, around 656,500 primary and nursery school children in England are currently eligible for FSM - a measure of poverty.

It is understood the Treasury believes it can extend the entitlement to a further 500,000 pupils in England by raising the cap on eligibility.

Under current rules children qualify if their household income is less than £16,040 and their parents do not get working families tax credit.

Today's PBR said primary age pupils in working families with an annual household income below £16,190 would be able to claim the dinners.

Addressing the Commons, Mr Darling said: "I am able to extend free school meals to half a million primary school children of low income working parents, who previously would not have been eligible.

"Once fully rolled out, this will lift up to an additional 50,000 children out of relative poverty, towards our target of abolishing child poverty by 2020."

The PBR also said the Government would extend pilots of universal school meals so there was one in each English region.

Pilots are currently running in Durham and Newham, east London.

Richard Watts of the Children's Food Campaign said: "This announcement will mean more children get access to good food at school, which will improve their health, ability to learn and behaviour in the classroom. Families on low income will really welcome this extra help."

Unions have been calling for FSM to be extend to all school children and the issue has previously been raised at Labour's annual conference.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "We welcome the fact that Government is putting their money where their mouth is in continuing to tackle the pressing issue of child poverty with practical measures.

"The extension of the free school meals programme recognises the problems facing low income families. Clearly, this measure alone is not enough to meet the Government's 2010 target to halve child poverty. The goal to end child poverty by 2020 hasn't disappeared and must be met."

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, which has been campaigning for free school meals, welcomed the announcement, saying: "Extending free school meals to half a million more children is good news for their health and their education. We now want to see it extended to all primary school children."

Fergus Drake, Save the Children's director of UK programmes, said: "Alistair Darling's 'meal deal' promise of free school meals for more children from low-income families is good news for the 50,000 children that the Chancellor says will be lifted out of poverty by this measure. 
 
"But this still leaves 1.4 million children living in severe poverty, whose parents struggle on a daily basis to put food on the table. We should be clear that Mr Darling today did little to help those families.

"The announced increase in child benefit amounts to just 30 pence extra per week for every eldest child. The overall government target of lifting 650,000 children out of poverty next year is nowhere near being met.
 
"We want all the political parties in the run-up to, and after next year's election, to prioritise these forgotten children. Free school meals are welcome - but so much more needs to be done to ensure the very poorest children are not left behind."