Seventy thousand children in the South West are living in poverty but can't get free school meals, research reveals.

According to new analysis from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), this is due to eligibility criteria being incredibly restrictive and outdated.

The charity is calling on the government to reform the qualifying criteria and move towards removing means-testing from the dining hall.

This would ensure more children get the food they need and provide some relief to families struggling with rising costs.

CPAG also suggests the immediate implementation of an auto-enrolment system to ensure no child currently entitled falls through the cracks due to paperwork.

Currently, infants in England are guaranteed a free school meal (FSM).

However, children in Year 3 and above from households on universal credit only qualify if their family’s income is below £7,400 per year (before benefits and after tax).

This threshold has not changed since 2018, despite inflation.

Research indicates that children's health, attainment, and social experiences in the dining hall are improved when free school meals are available to all children.

Universal provision also supports home-school relations by eliminating school dinner debt.

Latest estimates show that 30 per cent of children in the South West are living in poverty.

Kate Anstey, head of education at Child Poverty Action Group, said: "It’s hard to focus on your times tables when you’re hungry at school.

"But in every corner of the South West, kids are going without the food they need because the qualifying threshold for free school meals is out of date and much too restrictive.

"In line with its mission to tackle child poverty and improve children’s well-being, the Government must urgently make free school meals available to every child that needs them and work towards removing means-testing entirely from the dining hall.

"This would take some financial pressure off struggling families and give them peace of mind, while helping to ensure that every child has what they need to make the most of school.

"We should be giving children the nourishment they need to succeed, not settling for what they can get by on."

The government's action on free school meals in England is said to lag behind other UK nations.

In Wales, universal provision is now fully rolled out in primary schools, and in Scotland, universal FSM are offered to all children in the first five years of primary school.

In Northern Ireland, the eligibility threshold is double that for families in England, set at £15,000.

Some areas in England have also expanded provision.

Emergency funding provided by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, means all state primary school children in London will receive free school meals until the end of the 2024/25 academic school year.

Pilots of expanded access are also being established in a number of areas including York and Stockport.

CPAG is urging local leaders to do what they can to expand access to FSM, but also to join national calls to make free school meals available to every child that needs them.