Mayor celebrates 100 million free school meals

Source: Greater London Authority, 25 November 2025

A scheme to provide free school meals to all state primary school children in London has given out 100 million lunches, City Hall says.

It was introduced by Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan in 2023 to help families with rising living costs and he has since pledged to fund the scheme throughout his term in office.

In addition, new analysis published today shows that schools are benefiting from more than £11.5 million of additional funding from Government each year to support the education of disadvantaged pupils.

Previously schools have missed out on the Government’s pupil premium funding, which is based on free school meals eligibility, as not all eligible families were identified and supported to fill in the necessary forms.

Through the Mayor’s free school meals and income maximisation programmes, City Hall has helped boroughs simplify the process and councils are now required to have a system in place to ensure all eligible pupils are registered, securing many millions more funding across the capital.

Sadiq has made clear that funding for his historic free school meals programme will remain in place while he is Mayor and has welcomed the Government’s move to increase the nationwide entitlement to free school meals to all pupils whose household is on Universal Credit from the start of the next school year.