Asked by: Alex Barros-Curtis (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce costs to parents related to returning to school in September 2026.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As part of the government’s work to reduce child poverty and ease cost pressures on families, the department has put in place a major package to support families with back-to-school costs.
Over 3 million children from families receiving Universal Credit will now benefit from free school meals, marking a major contribution to the government’s work to lift over a half a million children out of poverty, the biggest reduction in a single Parliament since records began.
This is alongside 1400 more free breakfast clubs opening across the country, saving families up to £654 per child per year on childcare costs, and new limits on expensive branded school uniforms, which could save some families up to £50 per child on the back-to-school shop.
Families benefiting from free school meals, free breakfast clubs and cheaper uniforms could save up to £1,200 a year, while eligible working parents using government-funded childcare could save up to £8,000 a year.
Asked by: Baroness Stedman-Scott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what categories of information are collected or processed by the Department for Education’s Risk of NEET Indicator tool to identify young people at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is taking forward a range of measures to prevent young people from becoming not in education employment or training (NEET), including improving identification, tracking and data sharing.
The department’s Risk of NEET Indicator tool brings together a range of indicators associated with an increased risk of becoming NEET. These include special educational needs and disabilities, attendance in alternative provision, mental health needs, care experience, Children in Need status, youth offending, caring responsibilities, parenthood or pregnancy, refugee / asylum-seeker status, substance misuse, exclusion from school or poor attendance, and eligibility for free school meals.
The tool is intended to support local authorities and their partners in the early identification of young people who may require additional support to participate and remain engaged in education, employment or training.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to set a target for reducing the number of households using food banks.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are committed to tackling poverty and reducing the need for emergency food support. The Households Below Average Income and Family Resources (HBAI) publication provides annual high-quality official statistics which are used to track a range of measures, including poverty, food security and food bank use. Statistics on the number of individuals living in food insecure households in the UK were first introduced in 2019/20.
Both our Child Poverty Strategy and action to address the manifesto commitment to reduce reliance on emergency food parcels draw on high-quality data produced in the HBAI that covers poverty, food insecurity and food bank use.
Furthermore, we have taken action to address poverty and to reduce the need for emergency food support through targeted social security measures. This includes the removal of the two-child limit in Universal Credit which will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, and the expansion of free school meals to all households receiving Universal Credit which is expected to lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that affordable (a) childcare and (b) holiday provision are available in (i) school holidays and (ii) inset days for working parents in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to improving access to holiday provision for school-aged children. Families can receive support with costs through Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit childcare and the Flexible Support Fund.
Through the holiday activities and food programme, we are investing over £600 million across 2026/27 to 2028/29 to provide free holiday club places, healthy meals and enriching activities for eligible children during school holidays in England.
We are also providing local authorities with £12.9 million in 2026/27, to support their statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare. As part of this duty, local authorities ensure they understand supply and demand for school-age childcare, including paid holiday provision. It is clear in published guidance that holiday childcare includes inset days.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national system of auto-enrolment for free school and college meals.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.
Introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals (FSM) so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit are eligible from the start of academic year 2026 to 2027 will make it much easier for parents to know whether their children are entitled to FSM. This new entitlement will mean over 500,000 of the most disadvantaged children will begin to access free meals, pulling 100,000 children out of poverty.
We are also rolling out improvements to the Eligibility Checking System, making it easier for local authorities and schools to check whether children are eligible for FSM.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the additional cost to the public purse of expanding the automatic eligibility criteria for the Holiday Activities and Food programme to include all care-experienced children, including those who are (a) looked after, (b) in kinship care arrangements and (c) adopted.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises that care-experienced children, including children who are looked after, living in kinship care or adopted, can face additional challenges.
The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, backed by over £600 million of funding for the next three years, provides free nutritious meals, enriching activities, and safe environments to eligible children during the school holidays. The programme is focussed on ensuring support for families facing the greatest levels of disadvantage and therefore is targeted primarily at children eligible for free school meals from households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less (‘targeted FSM’).
However, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised places to children who do not meet these criteria, but who could benefit from HAF, including care-experienced children.
HAF is a set budget programme, therefore expanding eligibility would not increase cost.
The government is also strengthening support for care-experienced children through wider reforms, including enhanced support for children in kinship care, extension of the Virtual School Head role and investment in kinship care support.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of paid holiday provision for disabled children whose families are ineligible for means-tested support.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to improving access to high-quality holiday provision for school-aged children, including those with disabilities. Through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, we are investing over £600 million across 2026/27 to 2028/29 to provide free holiday club places, healthy meals and enriching activities for eligible children during school holidays in England.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and ensuring HAF provision is inclusive and accessible. Guidance for local authorities sets out clear expectations on making HAF provision accessible for children with disabilities and a wide range of needs. HAF funding gives local authorities the flexibility to meet the sometimes higher costs of specialist provision, and to use up to 15% of HAF funding to provide free holiday places for children who are not eligible for HAF but who could benefit, including children with disabilities.
We are also providing local authorities with £12.9 million in 2026/27 to support their statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare, including provision for disabled children up to 18 years. As part of this duty, local authorities should ensure they understand supply and demand for school-age childcare, including paid holiday provision, and the department works closely with local authorities to understand any sufficiency issues.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to inclusive holiday activities for disabled children in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to improving access to high-quality holiday provision for school-aged children, including those with disabilities. Through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, we are investing over £600 million across 2026/27 to 2028/29 to provide free holiday club places, healthy meals and enriching activities for eligible children during school holidays in England.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and ensuring HAF provision is inclusive and accessible. Guidance for local authorities sets out clear expectations on making HAF provision accessible for children with disabilities and a wide range of needs. HAF funding gives local authorities the flexibility to meet the sometimes higher costs of specialist provision, and to use up to 15% of HAF funding to provide free holiday places for children who are not eligible for HAF but who could benefit, including children with disabilities.
We are also providing local authorities with £12.9 million in 2026/27 to support their statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare, including provision for disabled children up to 18 years. As part of this duty, local authorities should ensure they understand supply and demand for school-age childcare, including paid holiday provision, and the department works closely with local authorities to understand any sufficiency issues.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made about the potential relationship between free school meals and educational attainment in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely assess the relationship between free school meals (FSM) and educational attainment at individual constituency level. However, pupils in Ashfield who are eligible for FSM benefit from the same national programmes and support as eligible pupils elsewhere in England.
Pupils eligible for FSM have lower attainment on average than their peers across the education system. This outcome is evident across the country regardless of region. Evidence shows that access to nutritious school meals is linked to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better concentration.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase awareness of free school meal eligibility among parents with newly eligible children from September 2026.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. To support the expansion of free school meals from September 2026 to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit, the department has published guidance for schools and local authorities to support communication with families about the new entitlement.
The department is also providing information to families at the start of the school year to help them understand the new eligibility criteria and how to access support. In addition, we have worked with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that households receiving Universal Credit are provided with information about free school meals eligibility and how to apply.