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<p>The Department for Education routinely collects information on pupils who are both
eligible for and claiming free school meals. This information is published in the
‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2013' Statistical First Release[1].
Identifying pupils who are eligible for but not claiming free school meals is more
difficult.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has published a research paper – ‘Pupils not
claiming free school meals: 2013'[2] – which presents estimates of the numbers and
proportions of pupils who are entitled to receive free school meals but are not claiming.
The paper compares registration rates for children aged between four and 15 and highlights
regions and local authorities where under-registration rates are high. A table showing
under registration rates by local authority can be found in the annex.</p><p> </p><p>The
Department has developed a free school meals Eligibility Checking System (ECS). The
ECS enables local authorities to check very quickly and determine whether a parent
can claim free school meals by linking benefits information from DWP, HMRC and the
Home Office. It represents a significant achievement in reducing bureaucracy and cost
for local authorities and encouraging more parents to sign up their children for a
free school lunch. The ECS has been extended to allow parents to check their own eligibility,
and to apply online, for free school meals. The new system reduces the time, stigma
and bureaucracy previously associated with applications for free school meals.</p><p>
</p><p>Resources are also available from the Children's Food Trust to help schools
increase take-up of free school meals.[3]</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>[1]<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013</a>.<br>[2]
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013</a>.</p><p>[3]<a
href="http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/schools/resources/free-school-meals-matter-toolkit"
target="_blank">http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/schools/resources/free-school-meals-matter-toolkit</a></p>
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