UNIVERSAL free school meals (FSM) should be rolled out in areas of England serving the most disadvantaged young people, a former children’s commissioner said today.

Anne Longfield said schools should no longer have to use “sticking plaster solutions” to tackle child poverty as she called for greater investment.

The report from her Centre for Young Lives think tank contains a series of recommendations on how to reduce the impact of child poverty on millions of children.

It calls for universal FSM to be initially “targeted” at schools in boroughs and wards with the most disadvantaged populations.

Children in state schools in England are currently only entitled to receive FSM if a parent or carer receives specific benefits.

The report calls for “targeted proportionate universalism” to help level up communities with the “most entrenched” poverty.

It says: “This can be done not only at a local authority level, but within individual schools and nurseries.

“The data already exists to allow councils to identify the schools serving those children in the greatest poverty.

“Universal FSM should be a long-term ambition for all schools, but we should start by initially targeting schools in local areas with the most disadvantaged children and young people.”

Free school meals were extended to every pupil in state primary schools in London this academic year to help struggling families amid the cost-of-living crisis.

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “Hungry children cannot learn.

“FSM provide families with a much-needed lifeline which supports pupils to thrive in schools, helping their concentration, their energy levels and their enjoyment of their learning environment.

“But too many children fall through the cracks in provision, meaning too many are missing out on fulfilling their potential.”

Mr Kebede said that FSM rollout in London “has been a resounding success,” referencing recent search by the union showing that over half of London children were about were able to better concentrate as a result of extending provision.

“This policy raises children up and improves their experience in school — it’s a no-brainer that no child in England should miss out,” he said.

A government spokesperson said it has extended FSM eligibility to more groups of children than any other government and that “generous protections” are in place to protect entitlement.