In February 2023, the Mayor of London announced £130 million of funding for the emergency provision of free school meals for all pupils in state-funded primary schools in London boroughs. Although primarily intended as a cost-of-living support measure – projected to save families around £440 per child – the provision may have other impacts on pupil outcomes like attainment and attendance.
The Greater London Authority estimated that offering free school meals to all primary school pupils in London boroughs would reach an additional 270,000 children. This figure accounts for the London boroughs that already offer universal free school meals to primary pupils, and pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, who have been entitled to free school meals since 2014. In January 2024, the Mayor of London announced that the offer would be extended to cover the 2024/25 school year. The Mayor has since committed to funding the scheme for at least the rest of his Mayoral term in 2028.
Universal Primary Free School Meals in London – policy evaluation
Independent Evaluator
Offer of free school meals for all primary school pupils in London in response to the cost of living crisis.
Why did we commission this evaluation?
International evidence suggests that increasing the take-up of free school meals can influence a range of outcomes, from attainment and attendance to wellbeing and health. However, findings are often mixed and there have been few evaluations of the universal provision of free school meals conducted in the UK.
To help build the evidence base, we commissioned an independent evaluation of the universal provision of free school meals in London boroughs. The initiative gave us a valuable opportunity to generate robust evidence on the effects of expanding access to free school meals – particularly for older pupils in Key Stage 2 – which can inform future regional and national policy decisions.
Our evaluation examines the impact of the policy on attainment and attendance, as well as exploring implementation and experiences of pupils, parents and schools. This interim report presents findings 10 months after the policy was introduced. A final report, to be published in 2026, will provide a fuller picture of the policy’s impact over its first two years.
What did we find?
At this early stage, pupils in London boroughs who started offering universal free school meals made no additional progress, on average, in their Key Stage 2 assessments, compared to a similar group of pupils whose access to free school meals did not change. This finding has a high security rating. It is important to note that policies of this type often take time to embed, and measurable impacts on attainment may emerge only over a longer period than covered by this interim analysis.
- The introduction of universal free school meals was perceived positively by families, especially those whose incomes sit just above the threshold that would have previously qualified them for free meals.
- Many families reported experiencing reduced financial stress, less stress around preparing packed lunches, and improved wellbeing from knowing that their child could access a hot meal each day.
- Uptake of free school meals was high across all groups, prompting schools to pay closer attention to lunchtime organisation.
- Schools used the policy as a catalyst to improve lunchtime processes, dining spaces, and opportunities to for pupils to socialise, including learning about etiquette and responsibility.
- Case-study evidence suggests that shared mealtimes encouraged pupils to try new foods, interact with peers, and experience greater inclusion.
- Pupils’ ability to have agency over their meal choice emerged as a key factor in uptake, satisfaction, and nutritional benefit.
- The policy was implemented with high fidelity, with almost all schools offering a choice of hot meals to all pupils.
- However, nearly half of surveyed schools reported that the cost of delivering meals exceeded the allocated funding in the first year. This amount of funding for free meals increased in subsequent years.
This EEF-funded evaluation forms part of a broader suite of studies led by different organisations, each assessing the policy’s effects on a range of outcomes. The findings from this interim report should be considered within the context of these current and forthcoming evaluations.
For more information on this evaluation, see here: Evaluating the Impact of Universal Primary Free School Meals in London
17,446 schools were included in the analysis:
- 1,554 were London schools that began providing universal free school meals,
- 146 were already providing them, and
- 15,746 were outside London and did not provide universal free school meals.
Free school meals were made available to all primary school pupils in state-funded primary schools in London boroughs.
The Greater London Authority provided around £2.65 per meal in 2023/24, which was distributed to schools via local authorities. Schools then procured and provided lunches in line with nutritional standards. The policy was expected to benefit around 270,000 pupils across 1,800 schools. Pupils were not required to take up the meals and may bring packed lunches instead. Additional funding was provided by the GLA for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools, Jewish schools, and schools where uptake was greater than 90%.
The Greater London Authority allocated £130m to cover the costs of the policy in 2023/24. The Greater London Authority estimates there to be 270,000 otherwise-ineligible primary pupils in state funded schools in London. Dividing this funding over the estimated number of pupils gives a cost per pupil per year of £481.48 for 2023/24.
Costs to schools and caterers vary around this value, and are discussed in the report.