Free school meals extended to all Universal Credit families

The government has extended free school meals to all families on Universal Credit, a move that will see more than half a million additional pupils in England become eligible. The change, which came into effect this week, means any child whose family receives Universal Credit now qualifies, regardless of income. Previously, only households earning under £7,400 a year were entitled.

In total, more than three million children in England are now covered by the scheme. For families, the expansion is worth an estimated £500 per child per year. At Lakeview Primary School near Bedford, head teacher Lisa said the extra help could save families around that amount, calling it "really helpful" at a time when food bills are high. She added that she was positive about the change but worried about how it would be funded, saying: "You do always worry when you get given money in one hand which budget it will be taken out later."

Schools are paid £2.66 per meal, a rise of just five pence on last year, yet analysis suggests it costs at least £3.10 to provide a balanced meal. Many schools are already dipping into their core budgets to subsidise food costs, and some head teachers fear the shortfall will grow. One critic said: "The idea that you can create a balanced meal for that is for the birds... can we properly resource this, can we invest in schools so that we are not literally robbing Peter to pay Paul to provide this service?"

Education Secretary Lucy Powell insisted support is available. She pointed to new free breakfast clubs and transition grants, saying: "Work with us, I'm a new education secretary, this is a new term, these are some new measures coming in." The announcement has been welcomed by charities, but they and school leaders are calling for more sustainable funding to ensure the scheme does not leave schools out of pocket.

For parents like Gemma, a teaching assistant and mother of three, the change is a relief. She said: "Alongside my bills of gas and electric are extremely high, it's definitely going to help." The government says the extension is part of a wider effort to tackle child poverty and improve health, with 40% of parents reporting that their children were hungry during the day and 60% saying free school meals would improve their children's health.