‘In most supermarkets food does not cost £3 per day …’ The impact of the school food voucher scheme during COVID‐19

Abstract

Households with children eligible for Free School Meals are at risk of food insecurity. This paper reports on a rapid‐response study that investigated the impact of the school food voucher scheme during the COVID‐19 crisis on young people, families and schools. It pays close attention to the reliance of the state on the goodwill of society and its citizens in feeding those most in need. The Capabilities Approach is used to highlight factors that inhibited and restricted the use of the vouchers to produce the capability of having good nutrition for children in need of Free School Meals. The approach moves towards creating a society where children and young people are able to lead a life of their own choice and contribute to key policy decisions. This qualitative study funded by the British Education Research Association was conducted between September 2020 and March 2021. The study posed two research questions: (1) how have schools responded to COVID‐19 in relation to food during holiday provision; and (2) what have families identified as barriers to accessing the school food voucher scheme? Data collection involved online interviews with young people, schools and organisations (i.e. public health, director from the food industry. etc.). The findings highlight the difficulties with accessing and using the school food voucher and implications for future policy directions. Owing to this being a small‐scale study, it is not generalisable to the wider population but does highlight localised issues.

Schools and food charity in England

“…Secondly, in emphasising the growing importance of non-state actors and charities in education, this does not represent a fundamental break in welfare provision-the United Kingdom has long had a 'mixed-economy of welfare' (Alcock, 2016). Finally, although educational and sociological research has historically neglected the study of food, and particularly its connection to inequalities (see Shostak, 2023), important work has been done in this area; this paper extends and helps to develop this nascent body of scholarship (Cardoso et al, 2019;Gooseman et al, 2020;Lalli, 2021Lalli, , 2023Lambie-Mumford & Sims, 2018).…”

“…Child food insecurity and ‘holiday hunger’ have been socially and politically contentious issues in the United Kingdom for some time. Marcus Rashford's campaign to End Child Food Poverty during the COVID‐19 pandemic acted as a lightning rod for public debate about the role of the state in tackling child poverty and hunger (Earl & Lalli, 2020; Lalli, 2023; Long et al., 2022). It also framed more recent debates about extending free school meal coverage.…”

How do children perceive and understand the experience of household food insecurity? A narrative review of the literature

“…Rosemond et al (2019) also did not separate the children's responses from their parent/caregiver's responses. Notably, the timespan of the 16 articles is concentrated mostly in the last five years; 10 articles were published between 2017 and 2022 (Ghattas et al, 2017;Jones et al, 2020;Lalli, 2022;Leung et al, 2020;Mmari et al, 2019;Mohammed, 2022;Morrow et al, 2017;Ramos, 2020;Rosemond et al, 2019;Velardo et al, 2021), demonstrating recency of interest in the research area.…”

“…The assessment of food security status was not elaborated on in these reviewed articles. Participants who were recipients of government subsidies or school food/meal programmes were considered but not specifically assessed as food insecure in five studies (Connell et al, 2005;Ghattas et al, 2017;Heidelberger and Smith, 2015;Lalli, 2022;Mohammed, 2022). Two studies did not report on food insecurity measurement or instrument (Bernal et al, 2012;Jones et al, 2020).…”

Schools and food charity in England

“…This is significant for the educational research community because it is crucial to better understand the sheer scale of the challenge faced by schools in responding to child food insecurity and hunger -both of which have a highly damaging impact on a host of child outcomes, including educational attainment (Cook and Frank 2008;Gallegos et al 2021;Heflin et al 2019;Heflin et al 2020). Child food insecurity and 'holiday hunger' are also contentious political issues, with footballer Marcus Rashford's campaign to End Child Food Poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic acting as a lightning rod for public debate about the role of the state in tackling child poverty and hunger (Earl and Lalli 2020;Long et al 2022;Lalli 2023). This has provided a backdrop for important shifts in policy: from September 2023 all primary school children in London will receive free school meals.…”