All pupils in England whose families claim Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals, the government has announced.
Hundreds of thousands more children across the country will be able to access means-tested free school meals when the provision is extended from September 2026.
Currently, households in England on Universal Credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals.
But the government has announced that every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school lunches from the start of the 2026/27 academic year.
In London, all primary school children have access to free school meals.
The expansion will mean that all London households which claim Universal Credit are also entitled.
This means that all secondary school pupils in this category will be eligible for free school meals from September next year.
Nearly 2.1 million pupils – almost one in four of all pupils (24.6%) – in England were eligible for free school meals in January 2024.
The Department for Education said more than half a million more children are expected to benefit from a free meal every school day as a result of the expansion and nearly £500 will be put back into parents’ pockets every year.
It suggested that the expansion will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.
“This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.”
The DfE is due to release data on Thursday morning showing the number of state school pupils in England who are eligible for free school meals.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “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.”
The Government’s child poverty taskforce is due to publish its 10-year strategy later this year.
