A Department for Education press release published on 1 September 2026 set out a package of back-to-school cost measures. It said more than 3 million children from families receiving Universal Credit would benefit from free school meals, part of government work it said would lift over half a million children out of poverty. Families using free school meals, breakfast clubs and cheaper uniforms could save up to £1,200 a year, the release said, while eligible working parents using government-funded childcare could save up to £8,000 a year.

The release said 1,400 new free breakfast clubs would open from that September, alongside 9,000 childcare places and around 450 new or expanded school-based nurseries. It also said new school food standards would be published by the end of September 2026. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said families would begin to feel the benefit that week. The Sutton Trust's Nick Harrison called the measures a significant step towards taking hunger out of the classroom, and the Food Foundation's Anna Taylor said 500,000 extra children would be protected from going hungry. The release cited research finding a third of parents cutting back on treats or batch cooking and 1 in 10 using a food bank or community service, with more than 80% of parents saying such support would help.