From September 2026, an important change is coming to free school meals in England.
For the first time, all children living in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of household income.
For schools, families and everyone working to tackle child food insecurity, this is a significant step forward.
At Rethink Food and across the National School Pantry Network, we welcome the expansion. Making sure more children can access a healthy school meal without their family’s income becoming a barrier is an important part of tackling food insecurity and reducing the financial pressure on families.
But it also raises some important questions about what happens next.
What is changing?
Currently, in England, children in households receiving Universal Credit generally qualify for free school meals only where household earnings are £7,400 a year or less, after tax and excluding benefits.
From the start of the 2026–27 academic year, that income threshold will be removed.
If a household receives Universal Credit, their children will be entitled to free school meals regardless of household income.
The change applies to children attending maintained schools, academies and free schools, as well as relevant special and alternative provision settings.
It is expected to bring many more children into the free school meals system.
The Government has also introduced additional funding to help schools meet the costs of the expansion. For the 2026–27 financial year, the free school meals expansion grant covers the period from September 2026 to March 2027.
Why does this matter?
A free school meal is about much more than the meal itself.
For a family experiencing financial pressure, removing the cost of a school lunch can make a meaningful difference to the household budget.
For a child, it can mean knowing that there will be a nutritious meal available during the school day.
And for schools, it can help ensure that children are not sitting in classrooms hungry because their families are struggling to make ends meet.
We know from our work with schools that food insecurity can affect children’s energy, concentration, wellbeing and ability to engage with learning.
The expansion of free school meals therefore has the potential to make a real difference to children’s day-to-day experiences at school.
But we also need to be realistic about what it can and cannot solve.
Free school meals are not the same as ending food insecurity
A child can be entitled to a free school meal and still live in a household experiencing food insecurity.
That distinction matters.
Free school meals provide an important safety net during the school day, but families have to meet the costs of food outside school hours too.
There can also be wider pressures affecting families: housing costs, energy bills, insecure employment, transport, debt and the rising cost of living.
This is why we believe the expansion of free school meals should be seen as one important part of a much bigger response to child poverty, rather than the whole solution.
What does this mean for schools?
From September, schools should be ready to identify children who become eligible under the expanded criteria.
For the 2026–27 academic year, schools are expected to complete eligibility checks before the start of the autumn term so that eligible pupils can receive free school meals from the beginning of the academic year. The Department for Education has also introduced a new digital eligibility checking service for schools and local authorities.
Why the NSPN still matters
At Rethink Food, we believe every child deserves access to healthy food — not just at lunchtime, but throughout the week.
School pantries provide a different kind of support.
They offer families access to food that they can take home, helping to reduce the pressure on household food budgets beyond the school day.
Just as importantly, the NSPN is built around dignity, choice and community.
We want schools to be places where families can access support without shame or stigma, and where food support can become a gateway to wider conversations about health, wellbeing and community resilience.
The expansion of free school meals does not make this work less important.
In many ways, it makes the role of schools in tackling food insecurity even more significant.
Find out more
If you’re a parent or carer in England, you can check whether your child is eligible and find out how to apply through your local authority:
Check eligibility and apply for free school meals on GOV.UK
Please note: the free school meal eligibility change described in this article applies to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate eligibility criteria and application processes.
