MORE than a quarter of the pupils in Blackburn with Darwen who could claim free school meals five years ago are no longer eligible for them.

Children can claim free school meals if their parents receive certain benefits. As the number of benefit claimants in England has dropped in recent years, thousands of children have lost their right to free meals at school lunchtimes.

The Child Poverty Action Group warned that the drop risked leaving some children without their only hot meal of the day.

Alison Garnham, the charity’s chief executive said: “At a time when more children are growing up in poverty, fewer are getting the help they need with free school meals. Out of a class of 30 kids, nine are growing up in poverty and six of these have working parents.

“When parents earn just above the threshold for a free meal children are at risk of losing what might be their only hot balanced meal of the day.

“School meals should be free for all as an important part of the school day - we don’t see patients in hospital being means tested before they are given a meal. At the very least, the rules must be changed so that all families entitled to Universal Credit get free school meals, including many working families,” Ms Garnham said.

Newly-released figures from the Department for Education show that 933 fewer children in Blackburn with Darwen’s state primaries and secondaries were receiving free school meals in January this year than in 2013, despite the school population growing overall.

The decrease was most pronounced in nurseries and primary schools where, five years ago, 21 per cent of Blackburn with Darwen’s children were eligible for and claiming free school meals. By January this year, that had dropped to 15 per cent.

Pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are automatically eligible for free school meals in England. From Year 3, eligibility for meals is linked to parents’ benefits.

Free school meals were also claimed by fewer secondary school children in Blackburn with Darwen this year. In 2013, 18 per cent were receiving free lunches, but by January this year it had dropped to 14 per cent.

It effectively means that 1,320 pupils are missing out on free school meals in Blackburn with Darwen.

Across England, 13 per cent of primary and secondary pupils claim free school meals. It means 290,000 fewer pupils receive free school meals than they would have done in 2013.

The situation has since been complicated by the roll-out of Universal Credit, replacing other benefits. In February, the Government announced that children in England whose parents received Universal Credit and earned £7,400 would be eligible for free school meals, a threshold frozen until the 2021-22 academic year.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that this means 50,000 more children will be entitled to the meals in the future, but warned that 160,000 children who currently receive them could miss out as the rules change.