Pupils to be auto-enrolled for free school meals

The council believes about 2,000 families in County Durham are currently missing out

A pilot scheme to automatically enrol children who qualify for free school meals has begun.

Durham County Council said the current system, where families applied themselves, meant some pupils slipped through the net.

The council said 2,000 families across County Durham were likely to be eligible for free school meals, but were not currently in receipt of them.

Letters would be sent to families inviting them to opt out if they did not want to have their eligibility checked, the council said.

The operation of an "opt out" rather than an "opt in" process has been successfully delivered in several other local authorities and has been proven to remove barriers to families receiving the valuable support.

Entitlement to the scheme has been shown to benefit a family by up to £400 per year for each child, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Figures show about 11% of pupils entitled to free school meals in the North East are not registered.

The scheme starts in September, with a full evaluation taking place in October.

The council would then share its findings with members, schools, and residents, it said.