Free school meals extended to over three million children

Schools are expected to publish their food policies and menus online and propose a school food governor, while DoE will provide training, resources and guidance 

More than three million children from families receiving Universal Credit will now qualify for free school meals in England, as the government expands eligibility at the start of the new school year.

The extension comes alongside the publication of updated School Food Standards on 14th September – the first overhaul of the standards in more than a decade. The changes are intended to improve the nutritional quality of food served in schools, with more fruit, vegetables and fibre and fewer foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

The updated standards will apply to food served in both primary and secondary schools, including breakfast and lunch. They will not, however, come into force until September 2027, giving schools time to prepare.

Stephanie Slater MBE, Founder and Chief Executive at charity, School Food Matters, described the publication as “a landmark moment for school food and children's health.” She added, “For more than a decade, schools have been working with standards that no longer reflected the latest nutritional evidence. We’re delighted to see these long-overdue changes finally become a reality.”  

Under the new rules, deep-fried foods will no longer be served, while high-fat items such as pizza and sausage rolls will be limited. For most of the week, fruit will be offered as dessert, alongside options such as yoghurt or custard. Lower-sugar desserts, including apple crumble, raspberry rice pudding and banana bread, will still be permitted.

Menus are expected to retain familiar dishes while using healthier ingredients and cooking methods, with examples including spaghetti Bolognese, Mexican-style burritos, cottage pie with root-vegetable mash, and jerk chicken with rice and peas. 

Schools will also be expected to publish their food policies and menus online and nominate a school food governor. The Department for Education said it would provide training, resources and guidance, while working with the Food Standards Agency on an approach to monitoring school food. 

The standards come as around 500,000 additional children become eligible for free school meals through the expansion to all children from families receiving Universal Credit.

The government’s wider package includes 1,400 new free breakfast clubs, 9,000 additional childcare places and around 450 new or expanded school-based nurseries. Families benefiting from free school meals, breakfast clubs and cheaper school uniforms could save up to £1,200 a year, while eligible working parents using government-funded childcare could save up to £8,000.

“Children can’t learn effectively when hungry, so these efforts will help tackle the effects of child poverty…”

Nick Harrison, CEO, The Sutton Trust, said the measures were “a significant step towards taking hunger out of the classroom”, adding: “Children can’t learn effectively when hungry, so these efforts will help tackle the effects of child poverty, as well as improving education outcomes for disadvantaged young people.”

Government research found that many parents continue to make difficult choices to manage household budgets during term time. A third reported cutting back on treats and snacks or batch cooking to stretch budgets, while one in 10 had used a food bank or community service for support.

More than 80% of parents surveyed said measures including free breakfast clubs, free school meals and childcare would help ease pressure on family finances.

Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, said the free school meals expansion would “relieve struggling families” and mean “500,000 extra children will be protected from going hungry”. She added: “If done right Free School Meals can protect children’s health and fuel their learning.”

Slater added that “the introduction of stronger standards, alongside new measures to improve accountability and monitoring, is an important step towards ensuring every child can benefit from nutritious, high-quality school food, no matter where they live.”