That’s why this government recently announced that it is massively expanding the number of children who will be eligible for free school meals. Starting from September 2026, children whose parents receive any amount of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals. In Nottingham North and Kimberley, that’s up to 9,340 children. Across the country over half a million more children will be able to benefit, in any setting where free school meals are currently delivered, from toddlers to sixth formers.
Since 2018, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income was less than £7,400 per year. This left hundreds of thousands of children below the poverty line, but going without because they weren’t "disadvantaged enough". By expanding the eligibility, we will put £500 back in parents’ pockets and pull 100,000 children out of poverty entirely. For children, it will make sure that they are well fed and ready to learn, helping them to succeed in school and get a better start in life.
This news comes alongside the start of the rollout of Labour’s free breakfast club programme. Early adopter schools are already providing free breakfasts and thirty minutes of extra childcare at the start of the day to make it easier for parents to manage the morning rush. In Nottingham North and Kimberley, Crabtree Primary School and Larkfields Junior School are leading the way, already offering these clubs.
From September, parents will also benefit from the extension of free childcare from 15 hours a week up to 30 hours a week. This will save them up to £7,500 per year per child, as well as freeing up time to work, earning extra income and having the added benefit of helping them to boost their local economy.
This is all downpayment on the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy. It is a sign of how important this issue is to the government that setting up a taskforce on child poverty, with ministers across government, was one of the Labour’s first actions after the election. The taskforce will report back this autumn with a ten-year strategy to root out poverty.
This strategy is essential because we understand that having more children on school meals isn’t the end goal. These measures will improve outcomes and tackle the effects of poverty, but that isn’t enough. We’ll judge our success on how many children we lift out of poverty entirely, so every child gets the start in life they deserve, no matter their background.