Anna Brychan MS, Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Today I am announcing an additional £15m to start enabling more secondary pupils in maintained schools to receive free school meals.
Currently, secondary school learners can only receive free school meals if their family receives Universal Credit and their annual net income is less than £7,400, not including benefits. We have committed to expand free school meals to secondary school pupils in households receiving Universal Credit by removing the income limit.
The funding will be split into £10m of capital funding, to invest in school kitchen and dining areas, and £5m of revenue funding for introducing the scheme, expanding existing funding for free school meal provision. It is part of the Welsh Government’s supplementary budget for 2026-27 and marks the first step in our commitment to extend free school meals to more secondary pupils, ensuring that support reaches families who need it most. By starting to invest, we are laying the foundations for a fair and sustainable expansion of free school meals that will make a real difference in pupils’ daily lives.
From September it is intended that parents of children in Years 7 and 8 will be able to apply for the new scheme, which will support secondary school students in households receiving Universal Credit, regardless of their household income
We are working with partners on plans to deliver this effectively and at pace ensuring every pound delivers the greatest possible benefit for the people of Wales. Further details will be announced shortly.