Free school meals will be introduced for all school children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools, and also to disadvantaged students in further education and sixth-form colleges, from September 2014. This follows a recommendation from the Department for Education’s independent school food reviewers in the School Food Plan published in July this year that the government should extend entitlement to free school meals, particularly for primary school children.

The department is currently working on the implementation details of this policy and further details will be announced soon. Information on the funding of the policy will be announced in the Autumn Statement on 4 December 2013.