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 children up to learn.

“This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our plan for change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.”

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “It is the moral mission of this government to tackle the stain of child poverty, and today this government takes a giant step towards ending it with targeted support that puts money back in parents’ pockets.

“We believe that background shouldn’t mean destiny. Today’s historic step will help us to deliver excellence everywhere, for every child and give more young people the chance to get on in life.”

The move was welcomed by William Roberts, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, who said it would “make a huge difference to thousands of children and parents across the country”.

He said: “As well as putting more money in the pockets of vulnerable families, wider provision of free school meals has been shown to lower the risk of childhood obesity, reduce absenteeism and boost educational attainment.”