More than half a million children will become eligible for free school meals from next year after an expansion of eligibility rules. This includes thousands across Gloucestershire, with more than 7,000 children to benefit in Gloucester.

Extending the lifeline benefit to all children in families who get Universal Credit (UC) in England, could save parents up to £500 a year. Currently, all children in England can get free school meals until the end of Year 2, but after that, they only qualify if their family earns less than £7,400 a year after benefits.

In a huge expansion, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has now announced that from September 2026, all children in UC households will be able to get a free lunch. It means around 500,000 more children will now be eligible for free meals, the

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