A move to automatically sign eligible children up for free school meals will provide a boost of up to £1m for Middlesbrough schools.
Middlesbrough Council is trialling the auto-enrolment of students in the knowledge that not all families entitled to the service apply.
Early indications suggest up to 800 more children will benefit thanks to the pilot.
Families will save an average of £400 per year, with children able to enjoy a hot, healthy meal each day at school for free.
And the town’s schools stand to benefit by a combined £1m thanks to the extra government funding they receive for every child in receipt of free school meals.
The Pupil Premium funding can be used to improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. Primary schools receive £1,480 per child with secondaries receiving £1,050.
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “I don’t want anyone to miss out and this simple process change is going to provide so much benefit to Middlesbrough.
“Hundreds more children will enjoy a free, healthy meal each day and we’re also securing hundreds of thousands of pounds for our schools.
“This money will help schools to deliver even better care and education to young people right across our town. This is a great example of the Council delivering for Middlesbrough and concentrating on things that can make a real difference to people’s lives.”
The free school meals move contributes to the Mayor’s priorities of making Middlesbrough a healthy place and reducing poverty.
All schools in the town agreed to take part in the pilot. The Council is now using information from its records on families who qualify for Council Tax Reduction and pupil information provided by schools to understand where children may be missing out.
Letters are being sent to families and they have the option of opting out of the scheme. Final checks on eligibility will take place this summer.
The Council has had the support and guidance of the Fix Our Food campaign and followed the lead of other local authorities including Sheffield Council in making the change.
Other North East councils are now known to be considering introducing the policy on the back of Middlesbrough’s early findings.
Children registered for free school meals will be able to benefit from Bring It On Boro, the town’s Holiday Activities Fund programme, recently hailed as one of the best in the country by the Department for Education.
The auto-enrolment for free school meals comes after Middlesbrough’s primary schools were praised for setting high standards.
All 14 primaries that were inspected by Ofsted in the 2023/24 academic year were rated either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’.