Following a pre-action letter sent by Matthew Gold & Co. Ltd. Solicitors on behalf of four children whose families have NRPF, the Secretary of State has agreed by pre-action response to extend free school meal entitlement temporarily during the current crisis to children from the following groups provided their families meet the usual income threshold for free school meals:
(1) Children whose parents are Zambrano Carers; (2) Children in families with Leave to Remain subject to NRPF restriction; (3) Children whose families receive support pursuant to section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who have no recourse to public funds; and (4) Children in failed asylum seeker families receiving section 4 support.
Therefore, children from the above groups will now be eligible for the support under the Covid 19: school meals policy whereas originally they were excluded. The Government’s legal response is attached, the relevant paragraph in 6.2. The Covid 19 scheme enables eligible children to have school meals delivered and collected from school or access to £15 weekly vouchers per eligible child. General free school meal guidance is outlined here.
