Rural Action Derbyshire, as the lead organisation for Feeding Derbyshire, has welcomed a major national policy change that will help lift thousands of families out of food insecurity. From September 2026, all children in England whose families receive Universal Credit will qualify for free school meals—regardless of household income. Currently, families must earn under £7,400 per year (after tax) to be eligible, meaning many low-income working families are excluded.

This long-overdue change is expected to make around 500,000 more pupils eligible for free school meals across the country. In Derbyshire, where many rural families already face additional challenges such as limited access to affordable food, transport, and public services, the impact will be particularly significant.

This decision will make a real difference to families in our communities. By broadening access to free school meals, thousands of children will no longer go hungry and this will bring some relief to the financial pressures that families face. We thank Feeding Britain for their tireless campaign to get these reforms in place.

Charlotte WinterbottomFeeding Derbyshire

Feeding Britain has led the campaign for this change since its very first report, which highlighted the plight of children in low-income working families who were disqualified from receiving free meals. Years of partnership working, including input from MPs like Emma Lewell-Buck, has finally delivered this reform.

The down payment being announced today will help hundreds of thousands of children break free of the hunger trap. For far too long, those children have been disqualified from free school meals despite living in, or at risk of, poverty. I strongly welcome the Government’s decision to rectify this injustice and lift some of the financial pressure off the shoulders of hard-pressed families.

Andrew Forsey OBENational Director of Feeding Britain

The Department for Education has allocated £1 billion to fund the expansion of the scheme until 2029. In addition, £13 million has been pledged to food charities across England to redistribute surplus food and further combat food poverty.

Rural Action Derbyshire, through its Feeding Derbyshire network, will continue to work with local schools, community groups and families to ensure this policy reaches those who need it most and contributes to long-term solutions to rural disadvantage.