England’s inflation hurts as households struggle to buy food
Due to the fact that they come from some of the poorest families in England, approximately half of the students at St Mary’s Primary School in London are eligible for a free school meal.
Additionally, the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is defying pleas from NGOs to expand student access to taxpayer-funded meals in the face of a rising cost of living crisis.
The number of St. Mary’s students eligible for a free school lunch is significantly greater than the UK norm, at 48% of students.
According to Claire Mitchell, a member of the school’s leadership team, “It’s alarming to think that a number of children and our families are trying to make ends meet and are having to give the food that they need for their family.”
Other families that should qualify for free school meals are unable to do so because their income exceeds the cutoff, which in England is set at £7,400 ($9,163) annually.
According to Stephanie Slater, founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization School Food Matters, “the threshold is merely set too low, and is out of pace with the other devolved nations in the UK.”
“The threshold is £14,000 in Northern Ireland. In Scotland and Wales, universal free school meals are currently being implemented, which will eventually provide a free lunch to every student in every school.
In England, only little more than one-third of students receive the help, which is equal to roughly £2.40 per day.
One in three children in England who are said to live in poverty do not qualify, according to the Child Poverty Action Group.
