The government announced an expansion of free school meal eligibility in England from September 2026 to children in households receiving Universal Credit. The written statement, published on June 5, 2025, set out the policy and its intended start. It did not describe free meals for every pupil regardless of household circumstances. Parliamentary statement
The statement explains that the previous Universal Credit-related income threshold had restricted eligibility. The expansion changes that eligibility route, rather than eliminating every rule governing free school meals. England’s policy should also not be described automatically as a single UK-wide rule.
Government methodology for the 2026–27 expansion grant provides further information about the policy’s scope and funding calculations. Funding methodology and pupil eligibility are connected, but they answer different questions: how resources are allocated is not itself an individual eligibility determination. Grant methodology
Families and schools should check current government guidance for the arrangements applying to them. The dated announcement supports the stated expansion to Universal Credit households; it does not establish universal eligibility irrespective of income, age or educational setting.
Archive note: the earlier claim that the policy covered every pupil regardless of household income was unsupported.