School Meal Debt Fund: report

Issues and conclusion

Issues

While there was a range of positives from the reporting a couple of local authorities highlighted that they do not have a current school meal debt policy, due to the expectation of the rollout of universal Free School Meals (FSM). We continue to encourage local authorities to establish meal debt policy in line with the guidance provided by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) as meal debt may be experienced by any family regardless of the extent of FSM provision.

School meal debt is reported to be rising again in spite of the efforts by local authorities to support families and good practice and guidance being in place. Local authorities have suggested that possible reasons for this could include pupils moving from P5 to P6 and are therefore no longer entitled to receive universal FSM, or pupils whose circumstances changed and no longer qualify for FSM. National and local government have prioritised the expansion of FSM in primary schools on the basis of receipt of Scottish Child Payment. This work brings the percentage of primary pupils eligible for FSM to 84%.

Conclusion

We remain committed to eradicating child poverty and tackling the stigma of school meal debt and are heartened to see evidence of good practice across Scotland.

Decisions around school meal debt management, including all aspects of policy and practice, remain at the discretion of each local authority. We recognise that all local authorities continue to follow the COSLA guidance created to help manage school meal debt and support those families most in need.