More than £1 million owed in school meal debt is just the “tip of the iceberg” as thousands of families in Scotland are struggling with hunger, experts have warned.
Research commissioned by the Aberlour children’s charity reveals the extent of school meal debt and highlights an increase in “hidden hunger” among Scottish pupils.
The total debt owed by families of pupils in their final two years of primary school (P6-7) is £1,032,500; all younger primary school pupils in Scotland (P1-5) are eligible for free school meals.
The research, conducted by Professor Morag Treanor, from Heriot-Watt University’s Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research (I-SPHERE), has prompted urgent calls for the extension of free school meals.
Low-income families are gradually being excluded as income thresholds for free school meals increase, while far fewer children are eligible for free school meals today than 20 years ago, the research finds.
Cost-of-living crisis: call to extend free school meals
Meanwhile, food hunger is harder to quantify in secondary school, with some students choosing to go hungry rather than face the stigma and shame of requesting a voucher that identifies them as having no money on their school meal account.
Martin Canavan, head of policy and participation at Aberlour, has urged the Scottish government to widen eligibility for free school meals immediately.
He said: “We believe that, in a country as rich as Scotland, no child should ever go hungry. We’re very concerned about hidden school hunger and believe there are likely significant numbers of children going hungry in school across Scotland.
“In the last 10 years we’ve seen child poverty rise significantly, yet far fewer families are eligible for free school meals now than they were when the thresholds were introduced 20 years ago.”
Mr Canavan added: “The issue of school hunger and the significant number of children going hungry every single day means we are failing as a country to protect children’s human rights - specifically, the right to food.
“We are calling on the Scottish government to maximise eligibility for free school meals for low-income working families with immediate effect.
“This will ensure more families receive this entitlement, reduce financial hardship, help end school meal debt and reduce the likelihood of hunger in schools.”
The research highlights inconsistencies in how local authorities recover school meals debt: some children are denied school meals and, in some cases, debt is carried over from primary to secondary schools.
Professor Treanor said: “The debt highlighted through our research is, we believe, just the tip of the iceberg as the number of families struggling to pay for a school meal in Scotland continues to soar.
“We have unquantified levels of hidden hunger in secondary schools. Children going hungry has a catastrophic impact on their health, wellbeing and educational attainment.”
While the Scottish government’s commitment to expand free school meal provision has been widely welcomed - albeit the initial August 2022 deadline for universal free school meals in primary was delayed - Professor Treanor said “immediate action” is necessary, given the rising cost-of-living crisis.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “Cost-of-living rises are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges.
“Pupils in Primary 1-5 at publicly funded schools already benefit from universal free school lunches during term time, as well as eligible pupils within other age groups, saving families on average £400 per child per year.
“We will continue to work with our partners in local authorities to plan for the expansion of free school meal provision.”
The spokesperson added: “Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria.
“We would also urge local authorities to do all they can to resolve any payment issues.”
