Starting from September 2026, over half a million more children across England will receive free nutritious school meals daily, as the government expands eligibility to all pupils in households receiving Universal Credit. This landmark move, announced on June 4, 2025, marks a significant step in the government’s broader Plan for Change aimed at breaking down barriers to opportunity and giving children the best start in life.
Currently, eligibility for free school meals is limited to children whose parents receive benefits and have a household income under £7,400 per year after tax, a threshold unchanged since 2018. This income cap has excluded many children living in poverty from accessing free meals, despite the universal infant free school meal policy already in place for pupils from Reception to Year 2.
The new policy removes the income limit for families on Universal Credit, making all children in these households eligible regardless of income. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson hailed the expansion as a “giant step towards ending child poverty,” emphasizing that the change will put approximately £500 back into the pockets of parents annually and lift an estimated 100,000 children out of poverty.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the policy as “a down payment on child poverty,” underscoring the government’s commitment to easing the cost-of-living pressures faced by working families. He highlighted that feeding more children every day for free is one of the most impactful interventions to tackle poverty and set children up to learn and succeed.
The Department for Education has allocated £1 billion to fund this expansion through 2029. While Education Secretary Phillipson declined to specify the source of these funds, she assured schools would not bear the financial burden, with further details expected in the upcoming spending review.
To complement this initiative, the government has pledged over £13 million to support 12 food charities across England through the Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme. This program redistributes fresh produce that might otherwise go to waste to communities in need, including schoolchildren, addressing food poverty at its roots.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized the moral imperative behind the policy, stating, “By expanding Free School Meals to all families on Universal Credit, we’re ending the impossible choice thousands of our hardest grafting families must make between paying bills and feeding their children.” This expansion is part of a broader welfare reform package, including a permanent, above-inflation increase to Universal Credit starting April 2026.
The policy will apply across all settings currently offering free school meals, including schools, school-based nurseries, and Further Education institutions. Schools are expected to enable parents to apply before the 2026 school year begins, typically by providing their National Insurance Number for eligibility verification. Meanwhile, schools and local authorities will continue to receive funding based on the existing free school meals threshold for pupil premium and home-to-school transport.
Experts and advocacy groups have welcomed the expansion but caution that it is just one piece of a complex puzzle. Christine Farquharson, associate director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), noted that while the long-term impact could see 1.7 million children receiving free lunches and 100,000 lifted out of poverty, the short-term effects will be more modest, with an estimated 500,000 children benefiting initially. She also pointed out that other measures, such as lifting the two-child benefit cap, might offer a more cost-effective way to reduce child poverty.
Kate Anstey, head of education policy at the Child Poverty Action Group, described the expansion as “fantastic news and a game-changer for children and families,” expressing hope that it signals further government action in the forthcoming child poverty strategy due this autumn. The strategy will also address the controversial two-child benefit cap, which currently limits means-tested benefits for third or subsequent children born after April 2017.
Despite broad support, some political tensions remain. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Prime Minister Starmer of “causing confusion” over the policy during Prime Minister’s Questions on June 5, 2025. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat spokesperson Munira Wilson echoed calls from charities to abolish the two-child benefit cap as part of the government’s wider child poverty agenda.
Currently, about 2.2 million children in England—roughly 25.7% of the pupil population—are registered for free school meals. However, parents must actively apply for their children to receive them, and automatic enrollment is not in place. MPs from the cross-party education committee have urged for automatic enrollment to reduce the number of eligible children missing out due to administrative hurdles or language barriers. Education Secretary Phillipson, however, has stated there are no plans to introduce automatic enrollment at this time.
Nutrition and educational outcomes are central to the government’s rationale for this policy. Access to a nutritious meal during the school day has been linked to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better long-term prospects for children. In line with this, the government is consulting experts to revise School Food Standards to ensure meals provided are both healthy and supportive of children’s learning.
Transitional protections that allowed children who previously qualified for free school meals to continue receiving them despite income increases ended on March 31, 2025. This change has made the new Universal Credit-based eligibility even more critical for families struggling with rising living costs.
While the expansion represents a historic and welcome intervention, child poverty remains a persistent challenge. With 4.5 million children currently affected by poverty in the UK, as noted by Paul Carberry, Chief Executive of Action for Children, the expansion alone cannot deliver the “bold, ambitious reduction in child poverty” that the Prime Minister has promised. Comprehensive social security reforms, including abolishing the two-child limit and benefit cap, are essential to achieving lasting change.
As the government prepares to publish its comprehensive Child Poverty Strategy in the autumn of 2025, this expansion of free school meals stands as a crucial foundation. It reflects a growing recognition that tackling child poverty requires multi-faceted efforts—from welfare reform and nutritional support to educational investment and community engagement.
In the meantime, families across England will soon see tangible benefits, with thousands more children enjoying a hot, healthy meal at school each day and parents relieved of some financial pressure. For many, this policy will be a lifeline, providing not just food but also hope and opportunity.
