Suffolk school bosses welcome extension of free school meals – but one says concerns remain over low-income working families

The extension of free school meals to 500,000 more children has been welcomed – but one education trust boss is concerned that it ignores ‘just-about-managing’ families.

On Wednesday, the Government announced that from the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals.

Currently, children are only eligible for free school meals if their household income is less than £7,400 per year, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty have been unable to access them.

In Suffolk, 22.6 per cent of pupils (23,349) are currently eligible for free school meals, according to Department for Education (DfE) data for January.

Andrew Berry, CEO of the Tilian Partnership, which runs 10 primary schools in Suffolk, said although he was pleased the Government had decided to expand the criteria for the meals, he was concerned that using the measure of Universal Credit would only impact a very small number of pupils across the country.

He said: “Our concern remains that many working families are in financial difficulties due to increases in the cost of living. This policy is likely to ignore the vast majority of families that are ‘just about managing’.

“As schools we know the benefit of pupils being able to access a nutritious meal during the school day and the impact this has on pupil health and wellbeing.”

He thinks the policy will support some families who are in poverty but believes it does not support working families on low incomes.

He also said the new entitlement didn’t appear to come with any uplift in pupil premium (for which one of the criteria is free school meals).

Maria Kemble, an executive head of a school in Bury St Edmunds and one in Sudbury, said: “I think it is great news. The threshold for free school meals has been eroded over the last few years due to inflation and increases in the cost of living.

“In school we know that there are many families who do not qualify but are still struggling financially. It will be hugely beneficial for more children and families to be able to access school meals as children need to be healthy and well-fed to be able to learn effectively.

“It will reduce the strain on families knowing that they can enjoy a school meal. I look forward to more detail as to how this will be funded as schools do not receive sufficient funding to cover the cost of free school meals currently.”

Mrs Kemble, who helps advise the DfE regarding education policy as part of the Primary Headteacher Reference Group, said any additional provision would have to be accompanied by realistic funding for ingredients and staff.

“Even so I am pleased the Government is prioritising children and families and believe the investment will be beneficial for children's learning and development in the long term,” she added.

The expansion of free school meals has also been welcomed by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of ASCL, said expanding free school meal eligibility in this way was ‘absolutely the right thing to do’.

“It is really good to see such a positive statement from the government on tackling the scourge of child poverty. There is much more to be done – but this is a welcome step forward,” he said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures.

“My government is taking action to ease those pressures. Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.

“This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.”