Too many vulnerable children are “falling through the cracks”, education leaders warn, with calls for a re-think over free school meals.

A child's eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM), based largely on their family income, is often used as a measure for disadvantage and deprivation as well as to collect data - and funding - at a local level.

But with all families in receipt of Universal Credit to be entitled to FSM from next year, there are calls for auto-enrolment to ensure the most vulnerable don't miss out.

A new report, published today by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and funded by Nuffield Foundation, looks at the limitations of a policy to protect the poorest families.

placeholder image — School dinners/ Ben Birchall/PA Wire

A simpler system is needed to ease barriers and support more struggling youngsters, report authors outline, while a re-think is needed on defining disadvantage for children. The whole system needs review, they argue, to better serve those most in need.

Ruth Maisey, programme head for education at the Nuffield Foundation, said many families who are in poverty aren't even eligible for FSM. By targeting resources and policy only at those who are, therefore, she said it "creates a cliff edge that neglects many families equally in need of support".

And education leaders warn this has a "knock-on" effect when it comes to unlocking funding support that schools need.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: "We know that measuring entitlement to free school meals does not accurately capture which children are growing up in poverty. Too many children fall through the cracks, as eligibility criteria have excluded many and registration processes create barriers to access."

He welcomed the expansion of eligibility, and backed the EPI call for automatic enrolment and better provision for early years.

"Of course, many of these issues would be resolved by introducing universal free school meals, making sure no child is left behind," he added.

Data collected around FSM has long guided education policy as well as research and understanding at a local level about how children and families are faring.

But at present families have to apply, and report authors argue there are a series of "unnecessary barriers" around language, paperwork, and complicated systems.

Automatically enrolling families, they argue, would ensure the most vulnerable children don't miss out.

The report found the majority of children living in poverty, according to a previous study survey, did not meet the right criteria.

And of those who were deemed eligible, one-fifth of those from very disadvantaged families were not registered, it found.

There are still too many barriers for families to face, the report concludes, and too many variables across districts and schools.

Dr Tammy Campbell, a co-director at the EPI, said FSM has long been used as a measure in research and to inform Government decisions and funding.

“For many years, FSM eligibility has been central to how we understand and respond to disadvantage in education,” she said.

"But, as our report highlights, the government needs to consider how it can build on the current FSM measure to ensure that funding is better targeted at the children who need it the most.”