The initiative, which has been rolled out in collaboration with dozens of local councils, aims to identify and automatically register children who are eligible but previously unregistered for free school meals.

The team behind the pilot – from the University of York, food policy consultancy Bremner & Co and the charity The Food Foundation – advocate for a nationwide automatic enrolment system, allowing families to opt out rather than opt in. This approach could save families approximately £500 per year in lunch costs and ensure that no child misses out on a nutritious meal at school.

The programme has already seen significant success, with about 20 local authorities implementing the trial scheme. Preliminary data from surveys indicates that around 20,000 previously unregistered children are now receiving free school meals. This increase in registrations has also brought millions of pounds in additional funding for schools through pupil premium grants, which provide £1,455 per primary pupil and £1,035 per secondary pupil annually.

Local councils participating in the scheme include North Yorkshire, County Durham, Wakefield, Lambeth and Middlesbrough, each registering hundreds to thousands of additional children. The programme’s success has prompted another 40 councils to explore the possibility of implementing similar schemes.