The Department for Education has confirmed that from the start of the 2026/27 school year, every child whose household receives Universal Credit will be entitled to a free school meal, regardless of how much their parents earn.

The expansion, introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, removes the long-standing £7,400 earnings threshold for many families and is expected to significantly increase the number of children receiving free lunches at school.

However, while more children will qualify for free meals, some other forms of support will remain available only to lower-income families.

Who will qualify for expanded free school meals?

From September, children attending maintained schools, academies, free schools and eligible nursery settings will qualify for free school meals if their household receives:

• Universal Credit
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Eligible support for some families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)

The biggest change is that all Universal Credit households will now qualify, even if earnings exceed the current £7,400 annual threshold.

Two different types of free school meals

The government is introducing two separate categories.

Targeted free school meals will continue for children in Universal Credit households earning £7,400 a year or less, as well as certain other qualifying benefit recipients.

These children will still attract additional funding for their school through the Pupil Premium, remain part of the Ever 6 cohort and continue to qualify for schemes such as the Holiday Activities and Food programme and some school transport support.

Meanwhile, a new category called Expanded Free School Meals will cover children in Universal Credit households earning above £7,400.

These pupils will receive free lunches but will not qualify for the additional funding linked to targeted free school meals.

The Department for Education has also confirmed that transitional protections introduced in 2018 will end before the new school year.

Those protections allowed children to keep receiving free school meals even if their family’s circumstances changed.

From September, schools will carry out annual eligibility checks to confirm families still meet the qualifying criteria.

The guidance says: “From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, transitional protections for free school meals will end. Households must meet the FSM eligibility criteria from the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year to continue receiving provision.”

Schools preparing for surge in demand

Schools are now being told to prepare for a sharp rise in the number of pupils taking school meals.

The Department for Education is encouraging schools to estimate:

• How many extra children will become eligible
• How many additional meals will need to be served
• Whether families currently using nursery provision intend to take up the offer

Schools are also being encouraged to start promoting the new entitlement and accept applications as early as possible.

Parents will still need to apply

Despite the wider eligibility rules, families will not receive free school meals automatically.

Parents, carers or another responsible adult must still submit an application so schools can verify eligibility using the Department for Education’s digital checking system.

The guidance states: “To receive FSM, a claim must be made for this support by a pupil, their parent, or another responsible adult, as a condition of eligibility.”

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Even if children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 already receive Universal Infant Free School Meals, parents are still being urged to apply if they qualify under the benefits-based system.

That’s because schools receive additional funding for eligible pupils through the Pupil Premium where children qualify for targeted free school meals.

The Department for Education is also introducing a new Free School Meals Expansion Grant to help schools meet the extra costs created by the larger number of eligible pupils.

His Majesty will officially open the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre. a major new humanities centre at the University of Oxford, today.

The new centre brings together seven humanities faculties, research institutes and cultural spaces.

The King will meet the university’s chancellor, Lord William Hague, and businessman Stephen Schwarzman, who supported the development of the centre.

He will also engage with project contributors, academics from the university’s humanities division, the centre’s cultural programme team, and community organisations that use the site.

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The King will be serenaded by a choir of secondary school pupils before unveiling a plaque to officially inaugurate the building.

He will then visit the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, showcasing a gallery of historical instruments.

The King will also see the Sohmen Concert Hall, the world’s first ultra-energy efficient “Passivhaus” standard concert venue, with a student music group rehearsal.

The centre, open to the public, merges academic and cultural activities under a single roof, featuring seven humanities faculties, and the Oxford Internet Institute.

It is also home to a brand-new Bodleian Humanities library.

The single largest construction project in Oxford University’s history, it combines a space for research and a stage for the world.

The centre’s year-round cultural programme, first launched in April 2026, introduces the public to an eclectic mix of music, dance, theatre, and film.

Performance venues within the centre include the Passivhaus concert hall, which boasts 500 seats.

• Read our coverage with pictures of this event on the Oxford Mail website and in tomorrow’s newspaper. More follows…

The incident happened after a woman drove a white Vauxhall Corsa northbound and the vehicle left the road ending up in a ditch  the A34 northbound, near to the East Ilsley junction. The crash happened at around 10am on Wednesday, July 8.

She remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

Thames Valley Police have launched an appeal for witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward as part of its investigation.

PC John Henry Kelly, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this collision and would urge anyone who witnessed it, or who may have relevant footage, to please come forward.

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“If you have dash-cam footage, please come forward.

“We are also appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the white Vauxhall Corsa travelling northbound on the A34 to please to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or submit a report on the Thames Valley Police website, quoting reference 43260346786.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.