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<p>We are determined to give every child, regardless of their background, the very
best start in life. Free school meals are key to this and we want all parents whose
children are entitled to them to apply for them. The continuing provision of free
school meals to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the
utmost importance to this government. We want to make sure as many eligible pupils
as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible
for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility.</p><p>To support this,
we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and
straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have developed a
model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school
meals. We also provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal
Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including
free school meals.</p><p>We understand there are some concerns that schools could
be missing out on valuable pupil premium funding due to under registration for free
school meals. However, school census data shows that the introduction of Universal
Infant Free School Meals has not adversely affected infant registration rates.</p>
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