Food vouchers, parcels or cash transfers were provided both during term time and outside term time in all of the four UK nations for children who lost out on free school meals due to the closure of schools
Country
United KingdomPolicy Area
Food-related provisionsMeasure
School-related feeding and replacementEligibility
Children who were in receipt of free school meals based on the status of their household incomeType
Cash (social assistance), in-kind benefit, voucherStart / Announced Date
England: 31/03/2020
Wales: 20/03/2021
Scotland: 19/03/2020
Northern Ireland: 26/03/2020End Date
N/AAmount
England: £15 per week per child
Wales: £19.5 per week per child
Scotland: £10-20 per week per child
Northern Ireland: 13.5 per week per childTotal Cost
N/ARecipients
ChildrenRoute to the child
DirectSources
Edwards, Z., Howes, S. Reedy, J. and Sefton, T. (2020) Poverty in the pandemic: an update on the impact of coronavirus on low-income families and children. Available at: https://cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/policypost/Poverty-in-the-pandemic_update.pdf
Department of Education (2020) Free School Meals Payment Scheme. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20201030021233/https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/free-school-meals-payment-scheme
Scottish Government (2020) Update on school closures and exams. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20221210091825/https://www.gov.scot/news/update-on-school-closures-and-exams/
Sibieta, L. and Cottell, J. (2021) Education reopening and cath-up support across the UK. Available at: https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UK-responses-report-reopening-catch-up_EPI.pdf
Sibieta, L. and Cottell, J. (2020) Education policy responses across the UK to the pandemic. Available at: https://epi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/UK-Education-Policy-Response_Pandemic_EPI.pdfAccess the full dataset here
