Universal versus Targeted Benefits: The distributional effects of free school meals (original) (raw)
Related papers
2016
Free school meal provision in the UK has a long history, representing an important mechanism to tackle child poverty, address inadequate diets and tackle childhood obesity. However, concern revolves around levels of non-take up, since a significant proportion of those entitled don’t register, or once registered, don’t consume the meal. The take up of entitlement varies by Local Authority, indicating the impact of the local context. Existing research has identified a range of influential factors but by seeking to isolate factors, such an approach overlooks why these factors exist, how they are interrelated and why they affect the people they do. This study uses a collective lifestyles approach to explore the social context of free school meal provision to understand the interaction between policy, context and the individual and the influence of these interactions on uptake of entitlement. Using a case study methodology, four schools within one Local Authority in Wales were examined; ...
The probity of free school meals as a proxy measure for disadvantage
The use of free school meal (FSM) data is widely prevalent in official estimates of educational disadvantage as well as in educational research reports in Britain. However, while there has been some concern expressed about the measure, there has, to our knowledge, been no systematic test of its appropriateness. In this paper we test for its appropriateness as a measure, taking into account the dynamics of poverty and the error that can be associated with its application in judging school performance. We find that it is a coarse and unreliable indicator by which school performance is judged and leads to biased estimates of the effect of poverty on pupils' academic progress. These findings raise important policy questions about the quality of indicators used in judging school performance.
Still Hungry for Success? Targeting the poor and the case of Free School Meals
2006
This paper assesses the extent to which opportunities exist for an extension of the entitlement to free school meals, in order to improve the targeting of free school meals to children from the poorest of households, and the extent to which changes in free school meal provision leads to a regionally specific impact on child poverty due to variations of
Public Health Nutrition, 2013
ObjectiveThe present study sought to explore the factors that influence registration for free school meals and the subsequent take-up following registration in England.DesignThe research design consisted of two phases, a qualitative research phase followed by an intervention phase. Findings are presented from the qualitative research phase, which comprised interviews with head teachers, school administrators, parents and focus groups with pupils.SettingThe study took place in four primary schools and four secondary schools in Leeds, UK.SubjectsParticipants included head teachers, school administrators, parents and pupils.ResultsFindings suggested that parents felt the registration process to be relatively straightforward although many secondary schools were not proactive in promoting free school meals. Quality and choice of food were regarded by both pupils and parents as significant in determining school meal choices, with stigma being less of an issue than originally anticipated.C...
Food Insecurity: A Constant Factor in the Lives of Low-Income Families in Scotland and England
Frontiers in Public Health, 2021
During the school summer holidays, pressures on the already tight budgets of low-income families are compounded, particularly when the safety net of free school meals is removed. The main aim of the current study was to investigate how low-income parents and carers feed their families during term time when children receive free school meals and if, and how, strategies differ during the school summer holidays. A secondary aim was to investigate the role of holiday activity and food programmes in supporting parents and carers to feed their children during the school summer holidays. We used purposive sampling to recruit a total of 21 parents (N = 20 Female, N = 1 Male) whose children attended free summer holiday clubs in Scotland and England during summer 2017. Participants were asked about their food and shopping habits during the school term and if, and how they differed during the school summer holidays when free school meals were not available. The findings suggest that food insec...