Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional funding will be provided to schools in Fylde constituency to meet the cost of the expansion of free school meals.

The government has set aside over £1 billion across the Spending Review period to meet the additional meal costs associated with extending free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit. Funding for individual schools will depend on the number of pupils who become newly eligible. In 2026/27, mainstream schools will receive additional support through the Free School Meals Expansion Grant, which provides £505 per additional eligible pupil per year, with a pro-rata rate of £295 per pupil for the period September 2026 to March 2027, while the funding system adjusts to increased eligibility.