The findings show that people see free school meals as much more than a financial benefit, recognising the vital role they play in tackling child poverty, supporting children's learning and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive at school. Among parents, support for universal free school meals is even higher, with eight in ten parents in favour of expansion to all children.
Key findings:
When participants from across the political spectrum were asked why they supported expanding free school meals, the most common reason given was tackling child poverty, followed by helping families with the cost of living, and ensuring that all children are treated equally. The majority of voters for all major political parties were found to be in favour of expanding free school meals to all children.
There was also widespread recognition of the educational benefits of school meals. Participants described nutritious school lunches as an investment in children's futures, helping children and young people to concentrate and get the most from their education. As one participant put it, children who are hungry are unable to "access education to the best level that they can."
Importantly, the research highlights the social value of universal provision. Participants spoke about the value of children eating together, and the importance of removing the stigma that can come with means-tested free school meals. Universal provision was seen as creating a more inclusive school environment, where no child is singled out or shamed. Participants also described school meals as a shared experience that brings children together and helps reduce divisions between pupils from different backgrounds.
These findings add to a growing evidence base demonstrating the benefits of free school meals for children, families and schools. They reinforce the important role school meals can play in reducing child poverty, improving educational outcomes, and supporting families.
The Government's decision to extend free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026 was a significant and welcome step, but there is still further to go. Too many children experiencing food insecurity will continue to miss out, and many families will remain under financial pressure. As access expands, it is important that all children can enjoy nutritious, high-quality school food supported by strong and consistently monitored school food standards.
This report demonstrates the breadth of public support for expanding free school meals, and we look forward to seeing the next steps taken by the new team at Number 10. We understand the fiscal challenges faced by government, so an immediate cost-neutral first step must be auto-enrolment. This would ensure that every child currently entitled to a free school is automatically registered, removing the administrative burden from local authorities, schools and parents.
We hope to see continued progress towards a system in which every child benefits from a nutritious school meal, alongside the support needed for schools, caterers and local authorities to implement these changes successfully.
Read the full More in Common report here
