More than one in four pupils in England are now eligible for free school meals, figures show.

An additional 77,700 children became eligible for free school meals over a year, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE).

Eligibility for free school meals stood at 25.7% of all pupils in January this year, the equivalent of 2.17 million children – up from 24.6%, or 2.09 million, in January 2024, the data shows.

The figures come as the Government announced plans to expand free school meals to all pupils in England in families that claim universal credit from September 2026.

Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals.

The Government has said the expans

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