Free school meals extended to thousands more Dorset children
All pupils in households on universal credit will now qualify for free school meals, easing pressure on families and helping tackle child poverty
Thousands more children in Dorset will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026, under a major government expansion.
Currently, households on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year to qualify for free school meals.
But the Government has announced that every pupil whose household is on universal credit will have a new entitlement to free school lunches.
The move comes after campaigners called for the provision to be extended in a bid to ease pressures on young people living in poverty.
Campaigner and CEO of Bridport’s Local Food Links, Caroline Morgan told us: “There are lots of students who, especially towards the end of the month, have very little in the pack lunches.
“I also know of schools that provide additional snacks to keep children going because they know some pupils are hungry.”
The government believe feeding more children every day, for free, will help put “more money in parents' pockets”, while also tackling the stain of poverty and setting children up to learn.
“Parents will be massively relieved,” Ms Morgan said. “We’ve all noticed the price of food going up every time you do a food shop.
“Now, parents can just send their children to school, without having to worry about enough food being in the packed lunchboxes… They can be confident that will be provided at school.”
Labour has labelled this their “moral mission” to tackle the stain of child poverty – ensuring every child, no matter what their background, is given the “same chance to succeed”.
Ms Morgan added: “This expansion will just make it much fairer. We need to make free school meals accessible for as many children and families as possible.
"This is a significant step towards taking hunger out of the classroom. Children can't learn effectively when hungry, so this will also likely help improve education outcomes for disadvantaged young people.”