Responding to a call from the Local Government Association (LGA) for automatic enrolment for free school meals, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“NAHT has long called for children to be automatically enrolled to receive free school meals, using the information councils already hold about their family situation. This would take away the barrier of stigma for parents.

“Children who are hungry cannot learn as well as they might be able to. Free school meals at least guarantee that children get one nutritious meal a day. Currently more than one in ten eligible children miss out on their free school meals entitlement. We must do all that we can to extend that entitlement to every child that is going hungry.”