Earlier this week the Department for Education released plans to offer supermarket vouchers where schools are unable to offer their standard Free School Meal (FSM) provision.
However, the guidance released did not cover provision of FSM over the upcoming Easter holiday period, despite many schools remaining open for vulnerable students or children of key workers, leaving schools to pick up the additional costs. While schools would not typically offer FSM over Easter, the current circumstances mean many families are facing increased financial difficulty, with many businesses closed and staff left without income.
Despite this, North East Head Teachers are rallying round to do what is best for their students during this difficult time. As one North East Head Teacher said ‘the needs of our most disadvantaged and vulnerable must always be put first – whatever the cost . We have a moral duty to ensure our children are fed and safe.’
The Headteacher’s Roundtable highlighted this problem in their article Our Poorest Children Need Help Now #FSM4Easter on Tuesday, and they are campaigning for the Department for Education to provide schools with an allowance for those meals for the Easter holidays.
We back this campaign and have reached out to North East Head Teachers to explore the impact of this on their schools, including whether they would be able to offer meals and how they would be funding this.
90% of respondents said their schools would be open during Easter, either fully or partially based on parental need. Over two thirds of those who responded said they would be providing meals in some form, either as standard provision, or by delivering food parcels.
However, almost all of those who were providing meals said that the additional costs meant they would be taking from other budgets, or that it would mean cuts to other provision, including curriculum, capital spending and potentially even staffing. This will adversely affect schools in disadvantaged areas the most, as these schools, which were already due to lose out in the latest funding announcement, will now have increased spends, stretching their budgets even further.
One Head Teacher told us ‘At the moment I’m not really that concerned about the longer term (financial) impact. I will worry about that at a later date. I am currently just worried about my children, ensuring they receive meals. It is our moral duty to provide for our most disadvantaged families in their time of need. I am saddened by the government’s response.’
