Eligible children in Middlesbrough will be automatically signed up to receive free school meals from September.
Middlesbrough Council is launching a pilot scheme that will see automatic enrolment act as a ‘safety net’ for children whose families do not sign up for the free meals.
Parents will still have the option to opt out.
The council said reasons for families not claiming free school meals included the process of applying, low levels of literacy, language barriers and stigma.
A sample of 60 Middlesbrough households found 11 eligible families were not signed up for free school meals, and the council said this meant schools were missing out on thousands in related government support.
According to a council report, £3.8m has been generated in pupil premium funding since automatic enrolment was introduced in Sheffield in 2016.
A joint director of public health for South Tees, Mark Adams, said: ‘We want to ensure as high a take-up as possible for free school meals, so that eligible children are getting access to a healthy meal that is so important to their development.
‘Confirming eligibility for free school meals has the additional benefit of securing pupil premium funding for the child’s school.
‘Our schools do incredible things for the town’s young people and we want to support them as much as we can.’
