Commenting on the Government’s announcement that from September 2026 all children in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals, Jude Hillary, NFER’s Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice, said:
“Ensuring children have access to a nutritious meal at school supports their wellbeing, concentration, and long-term achievement. An estimated 500,000 pupils could benefit from this announcement, meaning it is a vital step towards reducing child poverty and improving educational outcomes.
“We have long called for this change – through our Disadvantage Report, Cost-of-Living research and more recently during the Committee Stage of the Schools Bill – highlighting the urgent need to expand eligibility.
“We now urge the Government to expand pupil premium support to these same children, ideally in next week’s Spending Review.”