Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

The amendment concerns a question of equity. Under Section 512 of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have the power to provide free meals for registered pupils at a school. If a pupil is eligible for free school meals, the local authority or the school governors have a duty to provide the lunch free of charge. Every registered pupil at a school is entitled to free school meals if they or their parents qualify under Section 512. This includes sixth-formers in a school but does not apply to pupils at a sixth-form college or in a further education college, as these establishments are not classified as schools. The 363 colleges in England have a central role in educating disadvantaged young people. Indeed, 69 per cent of 16 to 18 year-olds receiving the highest rate of educational maintenance allowances study at colleges. There is an issue of equity because, although young people in colleges take similar courses to their counterparts in schools, Ministers at the DCSF confirmed in a Parliamentary Answer last year that the Government have no plans to provide free meals for college students, even though the learning participation age is being raised. The abolition of the Learning and Skills Council and the return of funding for 16 to 18 year-olds to local authorities make this anomaly even more unsupportable. We—I am arguing on the behalf of the Association of Colleges—consider that the proposed new clause would ensure that all 16 to 18 year-olds are treated equally regardless of where they study. I beg to move.