Free school meal rule change to make 500,000 more pupils eligible
By: | Published: 2025-06-04 21:30:00 | Source: www.bbc.com
Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026, the government has said.
Parents on the credit will be eligible regardless of their income. Currently, their household must earn less than £7,400 a year to qualify.
The government says the change will make 500,000 more pupils eligible, which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said would “help families who need it most”. The Department for Education has set aside £1bn to fund the change up to 2029.
Labour has faced scrutiny over plans to tackle child poverty in recent weeks, and is yet to decide whether to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Ministers said the changes to free school meals would save parents £500 a year and “lift 100,000 children out of poverty”.
They have…
