Rising eligibility but missed opportunities: Boosting daily Free School Meal uptake remains a national challenge, report warns

Rising eligibility but missed opportunities: Boosting daily Free School Meal uptake remains a national challenge, report warns

London, UK – 23^rd October 2025 – A growing number of UK children are now eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), yet most still aren’t taking advantage of them on a daily basis, new research reveals. The 2025 School Meals Report, compiled by the ParentPay Group in partnership with LACA – The School Food People, shows that 71% of FSM-entitled pupils are not accessing their free meals every school day.

Based on responses from over 236,000 parents, the report highlights a growing disparity between eligibility and usage. FSM entitlement rose sharply from 23% in 2024 to 37% in 2025,  driven by cost-of-living pressures, demographic shifts, and improved identification processes.

Despite this progress, the data reveals significant shortfalls in daily uptake:

• Only 29% of eligible children are using FSMs 4-5 times per week.
• Around one in 10 entitled children are not registered at all – often due to stigma, confusion, or language barriers.
• The issue isn’t limited to lunch time – whilst 55% of UK schools offer breakfast provision, a third (33%) of parents said their child doesn’t attend, even when the service is available.

The case for school meals is clear. According to a further survey by ParentPay Group, 86% of school leaders believe nutritious school meals are not just a welfare issue, but a lever for improving rankings and long-term outcomes. In addition, nearly two-thirds (61%) say that pupils eating nutritious school meals are more ready to learn, while 58% say behaviour improves when children eat well. These findings reinforce the broader value of FSM beyond hunger relief, pointing to clear academic and social dividends.

“No child should miss out on a hot meal simply because their parent didn’t receive a form or felt embarrassed to apply,” said Phil Roberts, Group Chief Growth Officer at ParentPay Group.
“We’re working closely with schools and caterers to simplify the process – from automated opt-out registration and stigma-free messaging that normalises FSM use, to providing easy-to-use digital tools that help families track eligibility and bookings. These small steps are practical, proven and could make a life-changing difference to thousands of children.”

The proof is in the pudding: among families who are accessing FSMs, satisfaction remains strong. Half of eligible parents gave FSMs a 5-star rating for improving quality of life, with an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5. Parents see them as vital for nutrition, wellbeing, and cost savings – but the barriers to access must be removed.

“Expanding FSM eligibility is a critical step, especially during a cost-of-living crisis,” said Michael Hales, Chair of LACA. “But for these policies to truly benefit families, the school meal service must be properly funded (at least £3.45 per meal, index-linked) and assessable, through auto-enrolment in every local authority, so that all children can access their free school meal without delay,” he added.

About ParentPay Group

ParentPay Group is a long-standing leader and innovator in the EdTech sector, with over 40 years of experience. Across the UK and internationally, thousands of schools and millions of parents trust us to deliver the technology they need for cashless payments, parental engagement, catering, library services, finance and management information systems. Our catering solutions, Cypad and BlueRunner are trusted by over 5,500 school kitchens and process 43 million meals annually.

For more information visit parentpaygroup.com

About LACA – The School Food People

LACA – The School Food People is the representative body of school meal providers, representing caterers, chefs and individual schools. In total, our membership spans the country and is responsible for more than 110,000 staff employed in approximately 27,000 schools in England, Scotland, and Wales.

About the research

In partnership with LACA – The School Food People, ParentPay Group has revisited its School Meals Report for the fifth year for 2025, aiming to better understand the UK school meals landscape from a parent’s perspective. As part of the large-scale research, ParentPay Group surveyed 236,000 parents across the UK. The research undertaken in April 2025, included in-depth interviews to explore what caterers and school leadership teams need to ensure families are happy with the meals and service provided.