PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(26 February 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 106805, what steps her department is taking to ensure that all local authorities give serious consideration to implementing auto-enrolment for free school meals.

Asked by:
Rebecca Smith (Conservative)

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.

Local authorities are responsible for managing their own processes for identifying children eligible for free school meals. We know that many schools and local authorities have established very effective ways to encourage eligible families to register.

By introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from the start of the 2026/27 academic year, this will make it much easier for local authorities, schools and parents to know which children are entitled to receive free meals. Our improvements to the digital system used to review eligibility will also make it easier for parents to understand their entitlement.

As with all government policies, we continue to keep free school meals under review.

Answered by:
()