I picked up extra shifts but now my child can't get free school meals

I picked up extra shifts but now my child no longer qualifies for free school lunches – I had more money when I was working less

• Michaela Thomas, from London, says all her extra income is spent on lunches 
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A woman who lost out on free school meals for her daughter after picking up more shifts has argued she was financially better off when she worked less due to the soaring cost of living. 

Michaela Thomas, 30, from East London, extended her dinner lady shifts by 90 minutes per day earlier this year.

As a result, Michaela’s longer hours increased her monthly earnings from £700 to £1,050.

However, Michaela says the additional £350 is now largely spent on covering her 11-year-old’s daily packed lunches.

Speaking to The Mirror, the London-based mother argued that she is better off without the extra income.

Michaela Thomas, from London, explained that her extra income is being spent on her child’s packed lunches

Michaela said: ‘I should have just stuck with my hours as I’m paying the same amount anyway. I’m no better off at all if I’m honest.

‘Over the past few years, the amount of free school meals that come through has gone up.

‘With the economy we’re in, we should be able to afford for them to have food.’

Michaela said she struggles to see children go hungry if they don’t have enough money in their account during lunch time – and will often make up the difference herself. 

She added: ‘If a child comes up to my till and they’ve got 25p in their account… I physically cannot take that food away, I can’t.’ 

Michaela’s story comes after the Sadiq Khan announced that all primary school children in London will receive free school meals.

The £130 million plan will allow children in the capital to receive free school meals for the next academic year, with Mr Khan’s office funding £2.65 per meal – an increase from the £2.41 per meal currently paid for by the Government.

But, new research has suggested that some London boroughs will be left out of pocket and unevenly hit by costs from the new plan.

Households in England receiving Universal Credit must be earning below £7,400 a year before benefits to be eligible for free school meals 

Some councils, such as Lewisham, have warned that the true cost of meal is actually £3 per child, creating a £600,000 shortfall in borough finances to plug the gap and make sure every child is given free meals from September.

In other areas, however, boroughs have said the new scheme will result in an excess amount of cash, prompting fears that the scheme has been distributed unevenly across London.

School food campaigner Andy Jolley said that Mr Khan had ‘completely underestimated the difficulties of implementation’ and that schools would be left to ‘pick up the pieces’.

Currently, households in England receiving Universal Credit must earn below £7,400 a year before benefits and after tax to qualify for free school meals. 

But all children in London will be provided free meals from the start of the new academic year.

According to the Food Foundation, an estimated 800,000 children in England are living in poverty but do not qualify for free school meals.

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