New support for families comes into effect as free school meals and childcare expand

A significant package of government support for children and families comes into effect this September, including expanded free school meals, more free breakfast clubs and thousands of additional childcare places.

From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, all children in households receiving Universal Credit are entitled to free school meals, extending eligibility to around 500,000 additional children. More than three million children are now expected to benefit.

The change forms part of a wider package aimed at reducing the financial pressures facing families and tackling the impact of disadvantage on children's development, wellbeing and educational outcomes.

More breakfast clubs and childcare places

From September, 1,400 additional free breakfast clubs will open in schools across England. More than 2,700 schools will now be participating in the programme, reaching around 680,000 children. The government is also delivering around 9,000 additional childcare places through approximately 450 new or expanded school-based nurseries.

This is particularly relevant to the developing Best Start Family Hubs programme. The government's wider plans include enabling Best Start Family Hubs to host school-based nurseries, bringing childcare alongside services such as family support, health visiting and early identification of SEND.

Tackling disadvantage through joined-up support

While many of the individual measures focus on reducing household costs, collectively they reflect a wider direction of travel in children's policy. As we know, financial hardship rarely exists in isolation. Families experiencing poverty may also be managing housing difficulties, parental stress, childcare barriers, health needs or challenges affecting children's attendance, development and wellbeing.

For practitioners working with children and families, understanding this wider context is an important part of effective whole-family practice. It also reinforces the importance of helping families navigate the range of universal, targeted and specialist support available to them.