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<p>The provision of free school meals (FSM) to children who are eligible for them
is of the utmost importance to this government. We recognise the cost pressures that
some schools and suppliers may be facing, and as usual are holding regular meetings
with other government departments and with food industry representatives, covering
a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.</p><p>The department spends
around £600 million per year ensuring around 1.3 million infants enjoy a free, healthy
and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the universal infant
free school meal (UIFSM) policy in 2014. The per meal rate was increased to £2.34
per child in the 2020/21 financial year. The funding rate for the 2022/23 financial
year will be published with the funding allocations in June.</p><p>Under the benefits-related
criteria, the department provides a free healthy meal to around 1.7 million children,
ensuring they are well-nourished and can concentrate, learn and achieve in the classroom.
Schools fund benefit-related FSM from their core funding which they receive through
the schools block of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and is derived from the national
funding formula (NFF). For the 2022/23 financial year, the funding schools attract
through the ‘FSM factor’ in the NFF is increasing to £470 per eligible pupil.</p><p>In
recognition of cost pressures, after the NFF rates were set, the department received
additional funding from HM Treasury for core schools funding in the 2022/23 financial
year, which we distributed through a schools supplementary grant. As a result of this
additional funding, core schools funding for mainstream schools is increasing by £2.5
billion in the 2022/23 financial year, compared to last year. We have also given schools
the autonomy to agree individual contracts with school food suppliers and caterers,
using their increased core funding.</p><p>UIFSM is funded via a direct grant to schools.
The allocations are calculated using data recorded in the termly school census. This
includes the number of meals taken on the census day, as well as the number of FSM-eligible
children. We are mindful of the reporting burden on schools and feel that recording
school meals taken through the school census is a proportionate and appropriate method
of recording this data, whilst having controls in place to provide assurance that
the data is accurate and reliable for funding purposes.</p><p>Head teachers and senior
leaders are best placed to determine the use of their school’s budget, including how
much to spend on school food provision. Subject to meeting their statutory duty to
provide a free meal that meets the school food standards to all infants who are not
otherwise eligible for benefits-related FSM children, schools may spend the grant
for the purposes of the school or for a charitable purpose for the benefit of the
pupils. This is set out in the conditions of grant: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-2021-to-2022/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-conditions-of-grant-2021-to-2022"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-2021-to-2022/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-conditions-of-grant-2021-to-2022</a>.</p><p>Compliance
with the school food standards is mandatory for all maintained schools including academies
and free schools. It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate
portion and to balance the food served across the school week. The guidance to accompany
the school food standards includes guidance on portion sizes and food groups and is
available on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools</a>.</p><p>If
a parent or guardian is concerned about the quality of school lunches, they should
in the first instance contact the headteacher or consider using the school’s complaints
policy.</p>
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