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Executive Summary
Background Overview
School meals provide an important opportunity to directly influence the dietary habits of Scottish school children. Entitlement to free school meals is currently via the benefits system and the criteria for registration are set in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 with guidance being produced on an annual basis by the Scottish Executive. However, in order to ensure that all those eligible for free school meals are registered, there is a need to have a robust and accurate process in place.
Current figures produced 1 show that in a significant proportion of local authorities in Scotland the percentage of those entitled to free school meals and who are registered is below 100 per cent.
In May 2006, the Scottish Executive commissioned George Street Research to conduct a study that would contribute to the evidence base that informs policy on free school meal entitlement.
Methodological Overview
There were two phases to this study, with an initial stage of desk research to ascertain the amount of information available about registering for free school meals. This was then followed by a series of in-depth telephone interviews among local authority staff with responsibility for the administration and processing of free school meals.
Information searches were conducted on all local authority websites and interviews were completed with representatives from all 32 local authorities.
Identification of those Eligible for Free School Meals
Almost all local authorities follow the guidelines laid down by the Scottish Executive and use these as a basis for determining eligibility for free school meals. However, all local authorities noted difficulties in pro-actively identifying individuals who are eligible for free school meals. There are no definitive measures in place to ascertain the proportions of those who are eligible for free school meals and all local authorities, at least to an extent, are reliant on applicants to come forward.
Across the local authorities, there is no formal means by which those entitled to free school meals can be identified. This means that annual figures provided to the Scottish Executive of the number of pupils entitled for free school meals are indicative rather than definitive.
The Registration Process
There are a variety of ways in which potential applicants can obtain and return application forms, and all local authority staff felt it is important that a range of options are offered to potential applicants. Channels of information currently utilised include local authority websites, schools, local council offices and other public buildings such as libraries or leisure centres, although not all local authorities will offer every option.
In some local authorities, the application form for free school meals is combined with one for school clothing grants. While eligibility for a school clothing grant does not confer entitlement to free school meals, this is one means by which potential applicants for free school meals can be identified.
Assuming that the required evidence is provided, most applications are processed quickly. An application for free school meals can be made at any point in time during the school year. Thereafter, re-registration occurs on an annual basis for most local authorities, although some require re-registration every 6 months or more frequently.
Some form of evidence is compulsory with all new registrations and re-registrations.
Barriers to Registration
All local authority staff spoken to in the telephone interviews identified a number of barriers to registration. While they are the views of those within local authorities, they do not necessarily reflect the views of the parents or the pupils themselves:
- A lack of ready information
- Unclear/ non user-friendly application forms
- Confusion over completing application forms
- Non-anonymised practices such as ticketed systems
- The stigma attached to free school meals
Two additional issues were also identified by local authority staff as influencing uptake of school meals by all school pupils, rather than simply those entitled to free school meals. Nonetheless, local authority staff also felt that there could still be a diminishing effect on those pupils registering for free school meals due to:
- Healthy eating policies
- Peer pressure (particularly in secondary schools where there is a preference to obtain lunch from local shops)
Policies to Encourage Registration
A wide range of approaches has been adopted by different local authorities in order to overcome the problems of identifying pupils entitled to free school meals. Better provision of information for potential applicants is a key approach that has been adopted and has included:
- Information campaigns across a range of different public locations
- Dissemination of information via schools/ school information packs/ posters
- Advertising in local press/ radio
- Greater involvement of schools in helping to identify potential applicants
Most local authorities have introduced cashless card systems to their secondary schools to help to reduce the stigma attached to receipt of free school meals.
Ideally, all local authority staff identified the importance of shared information between different local authority departments and other government departments. A capacity to access, for example, the names of those in receipt of housing benefit, is one means by which local authority staff can be more pro-active in identifying eligible applicants.
Opportunities Offered by Guidance
Staff in local authorities did not generally have contact with their counterparts in other local authorities. As such, sharing of good practice, identifying initiatives that have had particular success (or otherwise) is not undertaken at present.
There is a desire on the part of all local authorities for the Scottish Executive to take on a central role in the dissemination of information and sharing of good practice across all local authorities. While a variety of innovative initiatives are being utilised by different local authorities, there is currently no means by which the success of these is shared with other councils.
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