This marks a significant step in ensuring that every child has access to nutritious food during the school day. In addition, our schools will benefit from £450,000 in extra Pupil Premium, which will be used to enhance resources and provide targeted support for children and young people.
The initiative uses council-held data to identify families entitled to free school meals and automatically enrols them, ensuring no child misses out on this vital support. By removing the need to fill in forms and a lack of awareness which are barriers to access, the scheme helps children thrive at school with nutritious meals that support learning and development.
The team is now working to establish this scheme as a regular process. This approach will ensure the system reflects the natural movement of pupils as they join or leave schools, creating a more efficient and responsive process.
Councillor. Steve Owen, our Executive Member for Children’s Services, said:
Far too many families who qualify for free school meals aren’t signed up, often because of a lack of awareness. This initiative changes that. By automatically enrolling eligible households, we’re making sure children get a healthy, hot meal every day. It’s a simple but powerful step that supports pupils’ education, helps families manage costs, and brings extra funding into our schools.
Parents and carers also benefit, saving on the cost of daily lunches and easing financial pressures during the ongoing cost-of-living challenges.
Between October 2024 and October 2025, free school meal registrations increased by 532 children. Of these, 311 were added through our auto-enrolment scheme, while over 200 joined via the normal application process. A follow-up check in November identified another 129 newly eligible children and the process to auto-enrol these is underway.
We remain committed to tackling inequality and ensuring every child has the best start in life.
Find out more about free school meals.