Universal Primary Free School Meals in London: Interim Report. Evaluation Report
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| Title: | Universal Primary Free School Meals in London: Interim Report. Evaluation Report |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mark Hardman, Sam Sims, Jake Anders, Claire Crawford, Francesca McCarthy, Kusha Anand, Claire Pillinger, Sally Riordan, Stefanie Meliss, Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (United Kingdom), University College London (UCL) (United Kingdom) |
| Source: | Education Endowment Foundation. 2025. |
| Availability: | Education Endowment Foundation. 9th Floor Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, UK. Tel: +44-207-802-1676; e-mail: info@eefoundation.org.uk; Web site: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 89 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Elementary Schools, Elementary School Students, Eligibility, Educational Policy, Lunch Programs, Breakfast Programs, Program Effectiveness, Achievement Gains, Family Attitudes, Program Implementation, Fidelity, Student Needs, Student Attitudes, Attendance, Student Behavior, Well Being, Financial Problems, Expenditures, Barriers |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (London) |
| Abstract: | In February 2023, the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, announced that the Greater London Authority (GLA) would fund free school meals (FSM) for all Key Stage 2 pupils in state primary schools, extending provision to those previously ineligible under the means test and achieving universal primary free school meals (UPFSM) in London (UPFSML). Initially limited to 2023/2024, the policy has since been extended for four more academic years. The introduction of this policy offered an opportunity to research the impact of FSM provision on different aspects of children's, families', and education providers' experiences, education and health outcomes, and well-being. In England, FSM were previously provided for all state school pupils aged between Reception and Year 2, and for older children living in households that receive Universal Credit with an annual income of below £7,400, among other low-income eligibility criteria. Concerns have been raised that this threshold for means-tested FSM may disqualify some children who are also living in financially struggling families. The UPFSML policy was primarily introduced to support families during a time of high cost of living and improve children's 'readiness to learn', though its Theory of Change (outlined below) suggests broader benefits for educational outcomes, family well-being, local economies, and the environment. The GLA provided around £2.65 per meal in 2023/2024, distributed to schools via local authorities. Schools then procured and provided lunches in line with nutritional standards. The policy was expected to benefit around 270,000 pupils across 1,800 schools, saving parents around £440 per child in 2023/2024. Pupils were not required to take up the meals and may bring packed lunches instead. Additional funding was provided by the GLA for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools, Jewish schools, and schools where uptake was greater than 90%. This interim report provides the findings from a quasi-experimental intention-to-treat (ITT) evaluation of the effects of the policy on educational achievement and school attendance in the academic year of 2023/2024. The trial uses a difference-in-difference evaluation design to exploit comparisons over time between 27 London boroughs that started to offer UPFSM in September 2023 with local authorities outside of London that do not offer UPFSM. A further triple-difference design explores an additional comparison over time with two London boroughs (Southwark and Tower Hamlets) that already had UPFSM prior to the 2023 London-wide introduction of the policy. The report also includes an extensive implementation and process evaluation (IPE) making use of case studies, parent and head-teacher surveys, interviews, child focus groups, and lunchtime observations. Although the policy was introduced primarily as a cost-of-living measure, it also created an opportunity to understand how universal FSM provision might affect other outcomes such as attainment and well-being. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) commissioned this evaluation to help build that evidence base. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED680944 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED680944 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Universal Primary Free School Meals in London: Interim Report. Evaluation Report – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mark+Hardman%22">Mark Hardman</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sam+Sims%22">Sam Sims</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jake+Anders%22">Jake Anders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Claire+Crawford%22">Claire Crawford</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Francesca+McCarthy%22">Francesca McCarthy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kusha+Anand%22">Kusha Anand</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Claire+Pillinger%22">Claire Pillinger</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sally+Riordan%22">Sally Riordan</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stefanie+Meliss%22">Stefanie Meliss</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Education+Endowment+Foundation+%28EEF%29+%28United+Kingdom%29%22">Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (United Kingdom)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22University+College+London+%28UCL%29+%28United+Kingdom%29%22">University College London (UCL) (United Kingdom)</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Education+Endowment+Foundation%22"><i>Education Endowment Foundation</i></searchLink>. 2025. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Education Endowment Foundation. 9th Floor Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, UK. Tel: +44-207-802-1676; e-mail: info@eefoundation.org.uk; Web site: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/ – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 89 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Schools%22">Elementary Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+School+Students%22">Elementary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eligibility%22">Eligibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Policy%22">Educational Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Lunch+Programs%22">Lunch Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Breakfast+Programs%22">Breakfast Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+Gains%22">Achievement Gains</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Attitudes%22">Family Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Implementation%22">Program Implementation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fidelity%22">Fidelity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Needs%22">Student Needs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attendance%22">Attendance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Behavior%22">Student Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well+Being%22">Well Being</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Financial+Problems%22">Financial Problems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expenditures%22">Expenditures</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom+%28London%29%22">United Kingdom (London)</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: In February 2023, the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, announced that the Greater London Authority (GLA) would fund free school meals (FSM) for all Key Stage 2 pupils in state primary schools, extending provision to those previously ineligible under the means test and achieving universal primary free school meals (UPFSM) in London (UPFSML). Initially limited to 2023/2024, the policy has since been extended for four more academic years. The introduction of this policy offered an opportunity to research the impact of FSM provision on different aspects of children's, families', and education providers' experiences, education and health outcomes, and well-being. In England, FSM were previously provided for all state school pupils aged between Reception and Year 2, and for older children living in households that receive Universal Credit with an annual income of below £7,400, among other low-income eligibility criteria. Concerns have been raised that this threshold for means-tested FSM may disqualify some children who are also living in financially struggling families. The UPFSML policy was primarily introduced to support families during a time of high cost of living and improve children's 'readiness to learn', though its Theory of Change (outlined below) suggests broader benefits for educational outcomes, family well-being, local economies, and the environment. The GLA provided around £2.65 per meal in 2023/2024, distributed to schools via local authorities. Schools then procured and provided lunches in line with nutritional standards. The policy was expected to benefit around 270,000 pupils across 1,800 schools, saving parents around £440 per child in 2023/2024. Pupils were not required to take up the meals and may bring packed lunches instead. Additional funding was provided by the GLA for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools, Jewish schools, and schools where uptake was greater than 90%. This interim report provides the findings from a quasi-experimental intention-to-treat (ITT) evaluation of the effects of the policy on educational achievement and school attendance in the academic year of 2023/2024. The trial uses a difference-in-difference evaluation design to exploit comparisons over time between 27 London boroughs that started to offer UPFSM in September 2023 with local authorities outside of London that do not offer UPFSM. A further triple-difference design explores an additional comparison over time with two London boroughs (Southwark and Tower Hamlets) that already had UPFSM prior to the 2023 London-wide introduction of the policy. The report also includes an extensive implementation and process evaluation (IPE) making use of case studies, parent and head-teacher surveys, interviews, child focus groups, and lunchtime observations. Although the policy was introduced primarily as a cost-of-living measure, it also created an opportunity to understand how universal FSM provision might affect other outcomes such as attainment and well-being. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) commissioned this evaluation to help build that evidence base. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: ERIC – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2026 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED680944 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED680944 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 89 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary Schools Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary School Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Eligibility Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Lunch Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Breakfast Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: Achievement Gains Type: general – SubjectFull: Family Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Program Implementation Type: general – SubjectFull: Fidelity Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Needs Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Attendance Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Behavior Type: general – SubjectFull: Well Being Type: general – SubjectFull: Financial Problems Type: general – SubjectFull: Expenditures Type: general – SubjectFull: Barriers Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (London) Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Universal Primary Free School Meals in London: Interim Report. Evaluation Report Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (United Kingdom) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: University College London (UCL) (United Kingdom) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mark Hardman – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sam Sims – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jake Anders – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Claire Crawford – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Francesca McCarthy – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kusha Anand – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Claire Pillinger – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sally Riordan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Stefanie Meliss IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 12 Type: published Y: 2025 Titles: – TitleFull: Education Endowment Foundation Type: main |
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