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<p>Under this government, free school meal eligibility has been extended several times
and to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century.
This includes the introduction of universal infant free school meals, further education
free meals, and the permanent extension of free school meals to some groups of children
who have no recourse to public funds.</p><p>Under current criteria, in January 2022,
1.9 million pupils were eligible for and claiming a benefit-related free meal in school
at lunch time, saving families hundreds of pounds a year per child. This equates to
22.5% of all pupils, up from 15% in 2015.</p><p>The government understands the pressures
people are facing with the cost of living and is providing over £37 billion in support
for the cost of living this year. This includes an extra £500 million of local support,
which will be extended from this October to March 2023 to help those most in need
with payments towards the rising cost of food, energy, and water bills. This brings
the total amount provided through the Household Support Fund to £1.5 billion since
October 2021. This is administered by local councils in England and helps those in
most need with payments towards the rising cost of food, energy, and water bills.</p><p>In
setting eligibility for free school meals, the government’s position remains that
it is right that provision is targeted at supporting the most disadvantaged, those
out of work or on the lowest income. The department will continue to keep all free
school meal eligibility under review, to ensure that these meals are supporting those
who most need them. Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and
may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. The
department is confident that schools will continue providing pupils with nutritious
school meals, as required by the school food standards.</p>
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