More than half a million additional children in England will receive free school meals from 2026, as the government announces a landmark expansion of eligibility to all pupils in households on Universal Credit.
The move is expected to save families around £500 per child each year and lift 100,000 children out of poverty.
The announcement forms a key part of the government’s Plan for Change, aimed at breaking the link between background and opportunity and ensuring every child gets the best start in life.
Until now, free school meals were only available to children in households earning under £7,400 annually—excluding many families still living in poverty. The new policy will extend eligibility to all children in families receiving Universal Credit, significantly widening access.
The government says the change will:
- Provide a nutritious daily meal to over 500,000 more children
- Improve educational outcomes, behaviour, and wellbeing
- Reduce financial pressure on struggling families
- Help close the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers
The expansion comes alongside a £13 million investment in food charities through the Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme, which redirects fresh produce from farms to families in need. The government is also revising the School Food Standards to ensure meals meet the latest nutritional guidance.
Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, commented:
“It is the moral mission of this government to tackle the stain of child poverty, and today this government takes a giant step towards ending it with targeted support that puts money back in parents’ pockets.
“From free school meals to free breakfast clubs, breaking the cycle of child poverty is at the heart of our Plan for Change to cut the unfair link between background and success.
“We believe that background shouldn’t mean destiny. Today’s historic step will help us to deliver excellence everywhere, for every child and give more young people the chance to get on in life.”
This initiative complements other cost-of-living support measures, including:
- Raising the national minimum wage
- Uprating benefits
- Supporting 700,000 families through the Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions
The new entitlement will apply across all settings where free school meals are currently delivered, including schools, school-based nurseries, and Further Education institutions. Most schools are expected to begin accepting applications ahead of the 2026 school year.
In response to the announcement, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board Cllr Arooj Shah, said:
“No child should go hungry and expanding free school meals to all those in receipt of Universal Credit has been a longstanding ask of the LGA and councils.
“This move will certainly have a positive impact. Making it easier for more children to have a healthy, nutritious meal will make a real difference to their health, wellbeing and attainment.
“Council still face data sharing and resource challenges in ensuring as many eligible children as possible receive what they are entitled to.
“Introducing automatic enrolment, using existing government data to capture all those who are entitled to free school meals, would also streamline the process and ensure as many children as possible can benefit, at a time when many families are still under financial pressure.”
Image credit: iStock
