MORE than 1,000 pupils who weren’t getting the free school meals they qualified for will now secure them thanks to a significant change in Devon.

Efforts by Devon County Council mean that all families whose income levels allow their children to receive free school meals will now get them due a new policy of auto-enrolment.

This means that families who qualify will automatically see their children served their free school meals, something that families have until now had to actively apply for.

Devon said the change meant that 21,064 children would now receive free school meals – a jump of 1,064 from the roughly 20,000 pupils who don’t have to pay for their lunches now. Families can opt-out if they wish.

The policy alteration is also particularly noteworthy for schools, too, as every pupil who has applied for free school meals attracts what is known as a pupil premium for schools.

Nationally, the pupil premium was worth around £2.9 billion to schools in the 2023/24 financial year, government data shows.

Early estimates suggest the auto-enrolment of free school meals could mean the county’s schools receive a collective £1.5 million boost.

Councillor Julian Brazil (Liberal Democrat, Kingsbridge), the leader of Devon County Council, said securing the change had been a “massive team effort”, and thanked district councils and schools for their help as well as initial work by the previous administration.

“Our officers have shown true dedication and drive to make this happen as it needed government sign-off and there were various bureaucratic hurdles in the way,” he said.

“Issues included government departments trying to locate and then allow access to the databases that held the details of all those who qualify for free school meals.

“They were either in the wrong department, or details weren’t all in one place, so it took a really concerted effort from our officers to persevere and not be fobbed off.”

Cllr Brazil said Devon was the first two-tier authority in the country to secure this free school meals auto-enrolment, meaning it is the first authority to do so in places where both county and district councils operate.

He added that some unitary councils – which look after all services within their boundaries – had already secured this auto-enrolment.

Cllr Brazil said the extra money would go directly to schools.

“If you’re a small school and you have two more children qualifying for free school meals, it can make quite a sizeable difference, and it all helps as we all know that funding for schools, particularly those in this county, is challenged.”

Moira Marder, chief executive of the Ted Wragg Trust, which has 18 schools across Devon, said the change would be “fantastic” for young people and their education.

“We’re really pleased as it will mean quite a few more children getting a balanced diet and we know from the work we have carried out that when children get healthy meals, like breakfast and lunch, it definitely improves concentration, behaviour and energy, and definitely improves academic performance in the long-term,” she said.

Ms Marder added that auto-enrolment for those eligible for free school meals would help in terms of inclusion and wellbeing of children and parents, and that it would mean “reduced bureaucracy for parents” in terms of having to apply for something the authorities already know they are eligible for.

“I’m really proud of Devon as this has been a very complex process, and as a two-tier authority, it is not an easy system to navigate, and that’s why it has been a challenge,” Ms Marder added.

The complexity comes due to the fact Devon County Council is the education authority, but district councils underneath it will be party to information around the likes of housing benefits that County Hall won’t, and the Department for Work and Pensions will hold yet more data.

Ms Marder added that the additional funding schools would receive would be welcomed, and that it would go towards helping initiatives that each school identifies as part of their respective pupil premium strategy.

It’s also understood that prospective national changes to the rules around which families qualify for free school meals could soon mean more children are eligible.

It’s thought that from September, the government will extend eligibility for free school meals to all households receiving Universal Credit, regardless of income level. At present, people on Universal Credit can only have an annual net earned income of £7,400 or less.

Devon said it thought that additional change could mean several thousand more pupils could qualify for free school meals in the county.

Ms Marder said she was now trying to assist other areas in the south west to achieve the same outcome Devon has just secured.