A third of Birmingham city’s school children received free school meals in the last academic year, according to data from Birmingham City Council (BCC).
The last academic year saw the highest number of children receiving free school meals recorded in the past decade, seeing an increase of over 63 percent since 2015.
The U.K. Government describe free school meals as “a statutory entitlement available to eligible pupils”. It also states that local authorities are responsible for providing free school meals to the children of families experiencing “food poverty” or “household food insecurity”.
On the BCC website, the council encourages families eligible to receive free school meals to apply to the scheme, stating: “We want to make sure children in the city who are eligible for free school meals receive them.”
When asked about this by Birmingham Eastside, Simon Connoley, CEO of FareShare Midlands, the region’s largest food redistribution charity, said:
“The reported increase in Birmingham schoolchildren claiming free school meals is no surprise to FareShare Midlands.
Our member charities are seeing a sustained rise in families needing support, with more schools running breakfast clubs, holiday provision and after-school food support.”
Paul Slatter from the Children’s Quarter Foundation — an organisation that supports disabled children, young people and their families — describes the levels of food poverty in Birmingham as an “absolute disgrace”, arguing it “undermines the health, education and happiness of children in Birmingham”.
Birmingham has the highest proportion of children receiving free school meals in the West Midlands, followed by Wolverhampton and Walsall, which both saw under a third of their school children receiving free school meals within the last academic year.
If you live in Birmingham and would like to find out if your child is eligible for free school meals, visit the Birmingham City Council Website.
This article was amended on January 2, 2025. An earlier version stated that Children’s Quarter was an organisation focused on tackling child food poverty. However, Children’s Quarter is a co-operative alliance of groups that provide and support inclusive services for disabled children, young people, and their families, and is not specifically focused on food poverty.
*Correction* Children’s Quarter is a co-operative alliance of groups that provide and support inclusive services for disabled children, young people and their families, not specifically focused on food poverty. More info here: https://childrensquarter.org/