More children from families in poverty could receive free school meals, after the council commissioned a feasibility study into providing support for those outside the national criteria.

Research published by the Campaign to End Child Poverty recently revealed 15 per cent of children in Richmond were from families living below the poverty line, but the majority were not eligible for free school meals because they are in households suffering from in-work poverty.

Councillor Stephen Knight, who proposed the study, said he was delighted at the council’s unanimous support of the motion.

He said: "I hope that when this report is published the council will take the next step and agree to funding the change to help ensure that all children in our schools have access to a healthy, nutritious school meal."

A research report conducted by the Department for Education in December 2013 indicated that Richmond had one of the highest percentages of children eligible for free school meals who did not claim them.

Of the borough’s 19,200 schoolchildren, 2,500 are entitled to free school meals but 700 have not registered to receive them.

The reasons behind this 28 per cent under-registration are unclear.

  • Are your children eligible for free school meals but do not receive them? Contact the newsdesk on George.odling@london.newsquest.co.uk.