IN his role as Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, Robert Halfon MP has been working with his cross-Party Committee colleagues to call on the Government to address the “lengthy delays” and problems experienced by parents and schools accessing Free School Meal vouchers. This includes questioning the Secretary of State for Education and the Children’s Minister on the workings of the voucher scheme and urging improvements to the system.

On Tuesday, the Committee agreed to write an open letter to the Children’s Minister, calling on the Government to continue Free School Meals in the upcoming school holidays and iron out the existing problems in the scheme. The letter has been published on the Education Committee website here: committees.parliament.uk/work/202/the-impact-of-covid19-on-education-and-childrens-services/publications/3/correspondence/
In his letter, Mr Halfon describes “a significant number of reports from schools and parents” about the issues with the online voucher provider, Edenred.

The Free School Meal scheme was extended by the Government at the end of March 2020 to ensure that children normally eligible for Free School Meals are able to continue to access meals whilst they stay at home. Schools can now provide every eligible child with a weekly shopping voucher worth £15 to spend at supermarkets while schools are closed due to coronavirus.

Mr Halfon said: “It is so important right now that children are getting the right nutrition. Free school meals for eligible pupils should not be stopped due to COVID-19.

“The Government’s extension of the scheme to continue throughout school closures is hugely welcome for many families in Harlow and across the country, but I want to make sure that the vouchers are working effectively and giving families support where it is needed.

“That is why, as Chair of the Education Committee in Parliament, we wrote to the Children’s Minister earlier this week to call for urgent action to resolve the issues in the Edenred system.

“Whenever parents or schools have contacted me about persistent problems accessing or redeeming their vouchers, I have contacted Edenred directly to seek a fast resolution. I would encourage anyone who is experiencing these issues to get in touch and I will do all I can to help.”

The letter also seeks “the latest data on the number of vouchers that have been issued and redeemed” to allow for further transparency of the voucher system’s effectiveness.