01/10/2026
You may remember that a couple of years ago, Punk Against Poverty contributed to a parliamentary debate about Free School Meals for children who are entitled to them but cannot access them in the usual way.
Children can be unable to access their entitlement for all sorts of reasons. They may be tube fed, unable to cope with a busy school canteen, receiving education away from the school site, have an EOTAS package, the list is endless.
Following that debate, Department for Education guidance was updated in March 2024 to specifically address EOTAS and reasonable adjustments for disabled children. The current guidance says schools must make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils on roll so that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage in accessing meals, including Free School Meals. It also says local authorities should consider equivalent food provision for eligible children receiving EOTAS.
But we’ve found many times, that just because something is law, doesn’t mean it’s always easy to access.
One of our own team recently found themselves having to fight to make that entitlement accessible. Their child remains on roll at school but is currently receiving alternative provision away from the school site.
They asked the school how their child could access their Free School Meals while receiving education elsewhere.
The initial suggestion from school was to bring them to school every day to collect lunch.
That would have meant a 26-mile round trip every single school day, with the parent having to take time away from work each day simply to collect a meal, it simply wasn’t feasible.
What followed was five months of emails and chasing because the school didn’t already have a system in place for providing an alternative.
But today, this finally arrived: a £94.55 Asda voucher covering last term’s missed Free School Meals, with another voucher due in two weeks.
It’s a small victory, but an important one.
Free School Meals aren’t a perk for children who are able to physically walk into a school dining hall. They’re an entitlement intended to ensure eligible children can access food alongside their education.
If a child’s disability or educational arrangements mean the usual system isn’t accessible to them, don’t assume that means they simply lose out. Ask what alternative arrangements can be made and, where relevant, point the school or local authority towards the Department for Education guidance which we’ll link in the comments.
It shouldn’t take five months of asking to receive a legal entitlement, and in many cases it won’t, but please if you find your child in this situation do follow it up. This is now the third family we’ve helped and we’re happy to advise anyone in a similar situation.
