Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that students from low-income households who are not eligible for free school meals are able to eat healthy and enjoyable school lunches every school day, in the context of the cost of living crisis.

The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support. The Department keeps free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables pupils to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.

The Department spends around £600 million per year to ensure an additional 1.25 million infants enjoy a free, healthy, and nutritious meal at lunchtime, following the introduction of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy in 2014. Under this policy, all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in England’s state funded schools receive a free meal.

The Government encourages schools to promote healthy eating and provide healthy and nutritious food and drink. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, including academies and free schools.

The Government spends approximately £1 billion annually on FSM and remains committed to supporting children, including through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme and school breakfast clubs. The Government funds over £200 million a year on HAF, which provides healthy meals and holiday club places to children from low income families. The Government is allocating £24 million over two years for the national school breakfast programme, which benefits over 2,000 schools across the country.