All children from households claiming Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September.Over half a million more pupils will qualify for free school meals from September as part of the government’s bid to reduce child poverty.Under the new rules, all children from households claiming Universal Credit will become eligible for free lunches, saving their parents around £500 a year.The move will lift 100,000 children out of poverty, according to the Department for Education.At the moment, only children whose household income is less than £7,400 receive free school meals.Nearly 2.1 million pupils – almost one in four of all pupils in England were eligible for free meals in January 2024.Prime minister Keir Starmer said: “Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures.“My government is taking action to ease those pressures. Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set c