Free School Meal crisis deepens in North East while national expansion offers future relief
Yesterday’s publication of the January 2025 school census data by the Department for Education reveals a stark and growing reality: Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility has reached unprecedented levels across England, with every region experiencing a significant increase on last year.
Most importantly, the North East continues to bear the brunt of this trend, maintaining the highest rates in the country.
Alongside this concerning data, however, the government has also announced a significant policy expansion that promises to reshape FSM provision from the start of the 2026 school year.
FSM eligibility continues to climb
The new data confirms a continued upward trend in FSM eligibility. Across England, 25.7% of pupils are now eligible for free school meals, an increase from 24.6% in 2024. This represents almost 2.2 million pupils who are now eligible for vital meal support.
This stark reality is particularly acute in the North East, which continues to record the highest rates of Free School Meal eligibility across all English regions, now standing at 31.2% of pupils. This regional average, already significantly above the national figure, masks even more severe challenges within specific areas.
In local authorities such as Middlesbrough and Newcastle, FSM rates soar above 40%, with Middlesbrough notably ranking among the top 10 local authorities for the highest rates of FSM in the country. These figures underscore the concentrated pockets of deprivation within our region, placing immense pressure on schools and highlighting the urgent need for targeted and sustained support to ensure all children have an equal opportunity to thrive.
A historic expansion: Universal Credit and Free School Meals
In a landmark announcement accompanying the data release, the government has committed to a major expansion of FSM eligibility. From the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school meals.
This “unprecedented expansion” is projected to benefit over half a million more children, putting an estimated £500 back into parents’ pockets annually. The government states this move will make life “easier and more affordable for parents who struggle the most,” aligning with their “Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity and give children the best start in life.” Furthermore, it is anticipated to lift 100,000 children across England completely ‘out of poverty’.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasised the significance of this policy shift: “Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures. My government is taking action to ease those pressures.
“Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.” He described this expansion as a “truly historic moment for our country.”
This new entitlement addresses a long-standing concern: since 2018, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income was less than £7,400 per year, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty were previously unable to access free school meals. This change also comes ahead of the Child Poverty Taskforce publishing its ten-year strategy later this year, and complements other government actions aimed at supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis.
Long-standing advocacy paying off– but there’s still a way to go
Schools North East has consistently campaigned for a more expansive and equitable approach to Free School Meals, recognising the profound impact of hunger on a child’s education and well-being. We believe that no child should face the school day hungry, and the previous eligibility criteria clearly fell short of addressing the true extent of need.
Most recently, in December, we joined forces with the North East Child Poverty Commission to publish a joint briefing that explicitly called on the government to expand FSM eligibility to all pupils and students in families receiving Universal Credit. This comprehensive briefing, available here, outlined the critical importance of this expansion in tackling child poverty and ensuring all children have access to the support they need to thrive.
Both Schools North East and NECPC have been at the forefront of the push for free school meal auto-enrolment, too, a vital step in tackling child poverty across the North East. Following intense advocacy and compelling evidence from local pilots, the government acknowledged the issue in February 2025, but we questioned whether the proposed changes were enough.
While the government’s proposed overhaul of FSM eligibility checks, allowing direct parent and school access, was a step forward, it still fell short of true automatic enrolment, as successfully piloted in the North East where 4,000 additional children gained FSM and schools secured £5.37 million extra Pupil Premium.
The government’s announcement to expand FSM to all Universal Credit households from 2026 is a significant step towards the vision we have advocated for. While this is welcome news and a testament to the persistent campaigning of organisations like ours, the data showing the continued rise in current eligibility underscores the immediate challenges schools face until the full implementation of this new policy.
The fact that our region continues to have the highest rates of FSM eligibility highlights the persistent and deep-seated challenges faced by North East families.
Schools North East will continue to advocate tirelessly on behalf of our schools and pupils, working to ensure a smooth transition to the new eligibility criteria and continuing to push for all measures that support the children and families of the North East.