Overview

This bill aims to automate the registration of children eligible for free school meals in England and Wales. It mandates local authorities to identify eligible children and ensures schools provide meals, while allowing families to opt out.

Description

This bill introduces several key duties:

• Local Authorities' Duty: Local education authorities (LEAs) must identify all eligible children ("qualifying children") and provide schools with the necessary information.
• Information Sharing: The Secretary of State will create regulations allowing LEAs and other relevant bodies to share information for identification purposes.
• Schools' Duty: State-funded schools must provide free school meals to all qualifying children, regardless of whether they've been identified by the LEA, subject to parental opt-out.
• Opt-out Provision: LEAs must provide a mechanism for parents/guardians to opt their children out of the automatic registration. Schools must facilitate access to this opt-out mechanism.
• Confidentiality: LEAs and schools must take all reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality and privacy of children and their families.

Government Spending

The bill's impact on government spending is not explicitly stated in the provided text. The cost will likely depend on the administrative resources required for identification, information sharing, and implementation of the opt-out process. Further budgetary details would be needed to determine the financial implications.

Groups Affected

• Local Education Authorities (LEAs): LEAs will have increased administrative responsibilities in identifying eligible children and sharing information.
• Schools: Schools will be responsible for providing meals to identified children and facilitating the opt-out process.
• Eligible Children and their Families: Eligible children will automatically receive free school meals unless their families opt out. The bill aims to simplify access to free school meals for families.
• Government Departments and Agencies: These will be involved in sharing information to support the LEAs.

Powered by nyModel