In 2026, many families across the UK continue to face financial pressures as they manage the cost of everyday household essentials. Free School Meals (FSM) remain a vital source of support for eligible families, helping to ensure children receive a nutritious meal during the school day. At the same time, universal infant FSM continue to provide funded meals for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, regardless of household income.

The Growing Demand for Free School Meals

In June 2025, the UK Government announced that all children from households receiving Universal Credit in England would become entitled to FSM.

This change forms part of the government’s wider efforts to tackle child poverty and give children a better start in life and access to the support they need. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 makes this entitlement a legal requirement, helping ensure eligible families can access free school meals consistently. The expansion is expected to lift approximately 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.

As a result, more children will qualify for free school meals, and many families will access this support for the first time. Schools and local authorities will play an important role in making that transition as smooth as possible, from managing applications through to confirming eligibility and ensuring children can receive meals.

The Operational Challenges Facing Education Teams

With FSM eligibility expanding and more children expected to qualify for support, councils need effective systems and processes in place to manage increased demand.

As a result, the government advised councils to complete eligibility checks as early as possible to help ensure families receive advance notice of any changes to their FSM entitlement and that eligible pupils can begin receiving support as soon as possible.

Manual Eligibility Checks

Manual eligibility checks and processing delays can create challenges at a time when councils need to process applications for free meals at school efficiently. Councils also have a responsibility to communicate decisions to both families and schools, helping to keep everyone informed throughout the process. For families, this can be a particularly stressful period.

Some councils are still maintaining records across multiple systems, which can lead to delays. With schools seeing an increase in the number of pupils eligible for FSM, timely processing and clear communication is essential.

Five Questions Every Council Should Ask

FSM are becoming increasingly important, and councils should be aware of their role in providing potentially life-changing support. To deliver the best possible service for residents, councils should ask:

  • Can we process a sudden increase in applications without recruiting more staff?
  • How quickly can schools see eligibility changes?
  • How are we managing transition protection?
  • Do we have suitable visibility of FSM uptake across the authority?
  • Are families receiving FSM decisions quickly enough?

What Prepared Councils Are Doing Differently

Liquidlogic Education Case Management offers a comprehensive, adaptable solution that can streamline FSM operations, remove administrative obstacles, and deliver real-time checks and workflow-driven outcomes.

Better systems can reduce the administrative burden of FSM applications, enabling faster support for families, improving school readiness, and helping councils manage increasing FSM uptake. Improved data visibility can also support wider inclusion efforts.

Next Steps

Explore our news and blogs for the latest updates and insights into our Education Case Management system and social care software.

You can also read more resources around Free School Meals, including our blog on the New Entitlement and the latest government articles and stats.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss specific needs, please contact us.