The change creates two categories of benefits-based free school meals and expands support beyond the existing income threshold. According to the Birmingham Mail, the policy has been made a legal requirement through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, with further regulations planned for maintained nursery schools.
The Department for Education says the expansion will mean 500,000 more children receive free school meals. The measure is backed by more than £1 billion and comes alongside wider government policies covering childcare and free breakfast clubs.
The new system will also change how schools record and monitor eligibility. Families already receiving support will not simply remain on the register indefinitely: schools and councils must check their circumstances each year and confirm which category applies.
Two Categories Will Determine Free School Meal Eligibility
Under the new arrangements, benefits-based free school meals will be divided into “targeted FSM” and “expanded FSM”. Targeted FSM will retain the existing criteria for pupils living in households that receive Universal Credit and have annual household earnings of £7,400 or less.
Expanded FSM will cover pupils who do not meet that targeted threshold but live in a household receiving Universal Credit. According to the Department for Work and Pensions guidance cited by the Birmingham Mail, this wider category will operate from the beginning of the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
The change also affects the way the “Ever 6” free school meals group is calculated. Pupils who are currently eligible for free school meals, or who have been eligible during the previous six years, form part of this group for disadvantage funding and accountability purposes.
Following the expansion, Ever 6 FSM will be based on targeted FSM rather than the newly expanded category. This means the broader entitlement to meals and the measure used for disadvantage funding will not be calculated in the same way. Early years provision is included in the preparations. Schools must also check pupils who are already using early years provision, as well as children who are due to start using it from September 2026.
Schools Face Annual Checks Before the October Census
Eligibility will be monitored on an ongoing basis through annual rechecks carried out by schools and local authorities. These checks must confirm both that a pupil continues to meet the rules and whether that pupil falls into the targeted or expanded category.
For the 2026 to 2027 academic year, the checks must be completed before the autumn term so eligible pupils can receive meals from the start of the school year. From September 2026 onwards, rechecks should take place annually before the October census.
According to the DWP, pupils will not attract free school meal funding if they do not have a valid eligibility recheck before the October census each year. Schools are responsible for making sure checks are completed, while local authorities will work with them through a digital system provided by the Department for Education.
A Department for Education spokesperson said the Government was working with schools and councils so eligible families understood the new rules. Parents who are unsure whether their child qualifies have been advised to contact their school.
Kate Anstey, head of education policy at the Child Poverty Action Group, said wider eligibility would offer families some financial relief, while arguing that the Government still had work to do before the September rollout. She said responsibility remained with ministers to ensure children received the support available to them.
