Frank Field, Birkenhead MP, has told the Liverpool Echo that 250 children have been identified who qualify for free school meals in the Wirral and will be signed up by the end of the month.
Field said: “With one small move Wirral looks set to net a quarter of a million pounds to go towards the education of some of Wirral’s poorest children.
“Just as important is the £400 each child’s family will save each year in school dinner money. Once the council has signed them up each child is guaranteed to receive a hot meal every day.”
The MP co-chaired an inquiry into children’s hunger and found almost a third of children eligible for free school meals are not signed up to them.
This leads to schools missing out on £1,320 in extra funding. The Pupil Premium funding uses the number of children receiving free school meals to calculate how much schools should be given.