Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria will be used to determine eligibility for free school meals following the rollout of Universal Credit.
The Department for Education is working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions and other government departments to consider new criteria for determining entitlement to benefits-related free school meals as the rollout of Universal Credit progresses. We will communicate our proposals in due course.
Schools currently receive pupil premium funding for each child registered as claiming benefit-related free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. There are no plans to change this criterion.