The government has published its response (external link) to the consultation it carried out into proposals for changes to free school meals and early year pupil premium eligibility under universal credit.
The government has decided to press ahead with its plan to alter free school meal and early year pupil premium eligibility by introducing a £7,400 annual net earned income threshold. This will “typically equate to an overall household income of between £18,000 and £24,000 once benefits income is taken into account”. Families will need to earn below this in order to be eligible. This threshold will be fully introduced once universal credit’s roll out has been completed, currently estimated to occur in 2022. Until then, all existing claimants will be protected; the new threshold will be used to determine the eligibility of new claimants from April 2018. Following universal credit’s rollout, all existing free school meal recipients will retain eligibility until the end of their phase of schooling.
The changes have been justified as they will lead to an estimated 50,000 more children becoming eligible for free school meals. The changes will not alter the enrolment mechanisms for free school meals, so parents will still need to apply.
This is relevant for governing boards, as they have a duty to ensure that their school is using pupil premium funding to raise the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.