Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Free School Meals: Eligibility Criteria

Monday 20 October 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Labour's expansion of free school meals will reach 8,750 children in Slough, potentially saving parents up to 500.
  • Government is collaborating with schools and local authorities to increase awareness of the free school meals scheme.
  • The Government is expanding free school meals to half a million more children, funded by an additional 1 billion through the spending review.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Lab Slough
Education Children & Families
Context

Labour's expansion of free school meals will benefit thousands of children in Slough, saving families up to £500 annually. Mr Dhesi is concerned about the impact of changes to eligibility criteria on poverty levels.

Question

Labour’s expansion of free school meals will reach 8,750 children in Slough, saving parents in Slough up to £500, as well as maintaining attendance and attainment and improving behaviour. Can the Secretary of State outline what measures the Government are taking to increase awareness of this scheme and to ensure that eligible pupils do not miss out on this excellent support?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for everything he does to champion children and families across his constituency. It is fantastic to hear how many children in Slough will benefit from the expansion of free school meals. To ensure awareness, we are working with schools, local authorities, and the wider sector to notify families about the changes that are coming into effect.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures or timeline for increasing awareness beyond general statements

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Q2 Richard Foord Lib Dem Honiton and Sidmouth
Education
Context

University maths schools have an excellent record for widening participation with a higher percentage of A-level maths students eligible for free school meals compared to national averages.

Question

Under the existing criteria for free school meals, university maths schools have an excellent record for widening participation. We know that 7% of A-level maths students across the country are eligible for free school meals, compared with 13% of students at university maths schools. Will the Government consider expanding the number of places available at university maths schools?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)

The hon. Gentleman was very imaginative with his question there, and I credit him for that. Of course, we have to take decisions about school placement and school places overall, across the whole system, but if he would like to provide me with more information, I will happily provide him with an update.

Not addressed: Changed subject to a request for additional information rather than answering whether they would expand places at university maths schools

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Q3 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Education Benefits & Welfare
Context

Liberal Democrats welcomed the government's decision to extend free school meals but are now concerned about funding. Research from Northumbria University indicates that schools will need to find significant funds to implement this extension.

Question

We Liberal Democrats warmly welcomed the Government’s decision earlier this year to finally adopt our long-standing policy of extending free school meals to all children in households in receipt of universal credit. At the time, Ministers repeatedly refused to confirm how they were funding this extension; research from Northumbria University now shows that, on average, every primary will have to find £11,000 and every secondary about £25,000 to do so, at a time when they are already cutting teaching assistants and extracurricular activities to balance the books. Given this situation, can you confirm when you are actually going to fund them?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)

I am grateful to the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for drawing attention to the fantastic Labour policies that this Government are rolling out. We are expanding free school meals to half a million more children, backed up with an extra £1 billion of funding through the spending review. That is the difference that a Labour Government are making.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm timing for when schools will receive specific funding allocations; only stated total government funding over several years

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