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<p>We estimate that providing free school meals to all children from households receiving
Universal Credit would result in around half of all pupils becoming eligible for free
school meals – over three times as many as the 1.1 million (14%) that are eligible
for and claiming free school meals in the latest figures[1]. We estimate that this
would cost in excess of £3 billion more a year, including the cost of the extra meals
and associated school deprivation funding, such as the pupil premium – the additional
meal costs alone would be in excess of £450 million per year.</p><p> </p><p>Costs
in each of the next four years will be lower than this as the proportion of the pupil
population living in households receiving Universal Credit will be lower prior to
the completion of rollout. We have not provided precise estimates for the next four
years as we believe the level of uncertainty around these figures means that releasing
them would not be in the public interest.</p><p> </p><p><strong><br> </strong></p><p>[1]
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/eligibility-for-free-school-meals-and-the-early-years-pupil-premium-under-universal-credit"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/eligibility-for-free-school-meals-and-the-early-years-pupil-premium-under-universal-credit</a></p>
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