Free School Meals – Data Explorer
Welcome to the Free School Meal Data Explorer page. We have two tools for you to use. The first is a heat map. The second is a downloadable workbook containing the full analysis and methodology, with an Explorer providing individual local authority data breakdowns.
Flourish Heat Map
This heat map provides a visual representation of the difference between the current number FSM registrations versus the total number of Universal Credit children who will become entitled under the FSM expansion. The darker the red, the higher the UC-FSM gap.
If you hover your mouse over an area, you will also be provided a breakdown per local authority of the number of children registered for FSM, the number of children from households in receipt of Universal Credit and the max increase in additional children who could be newly entitled to FSM (we have excluded pupils who already receive FSM via a universal scheme from this figure).
Download the workbook and click on the detailed briefing for a full breakdown of the methodology and caveats.
Excel Workbook
Need to carry out your own analysis or work offline? Interested in the nitty-gritty?
Download the complete Excel workbook containing all datasets and calculations. You will need to download the tool into Excel to be able to use the drop-down feature in the Explorer.
Workbook contents
• Interactive council-level data explorer and comparison tools
• FSM and Universal Credit analysis, including registration gaps and potential uplift
• Breakdown by local authority, region and key stages
• Detailed and top-line gap analysis with adjusted estimates
• Source data from DfE School Census and DWP Universal Credit statistics
• Summary outputs, charts and copy-and-paste council-level insights
• Detailed methodology, assumptions, limitations and caveats
• Suitable for Excel 365 and Excel Online (222Kb)
About the Database:
Free school meals: what the expansion could mean in your area
The government is expanding free school meal eligibility to all children in a household on Universal Credit. We have compared, for every council in England, how many children currently receive free school meals against how many live in a Universal Credit household. The gap between these two figures represents the largest number that free school meal numbers could grow by.
The headline numbers (England, ages 5-16)
• About 2.1 million children – roughly 1 in 4 – are currently registered for free school meals.
• About 3.4 million children – roughly 4 in 10 – live in a household on Universal Credit.
• Once you set aside younger children, who already get a free meal automatically, up to about 835,000 more children could be identified for a free school meal.
Important: these figures assume every entitled child signs up. In reality, not everyone does, so this is a maximum estimate. The government’s own estimate is around 620,000 children in the first year, based on roughly 89% take-up.
What these numbers do and don’t mean
• These figures represent the biggest possible increase in the number of pupils identified for free school meals.
• They include children who are already entitled under the current eligibility criteria but who have not registered, as well as children who will become newly entitled under the change.
• They cover pupils from Reception (Year R) to Year 11 only. Early years (before Reception) and sixth-form or further education college students are not included.
• These figures are a guide to the scale of the task in each area, not an exact forecast.
• In a few areas (mainly central London) the figure can be below zero. This does not mean any child loses a free meal – it usually reflects pupils who go to school there but live in a neighbouring council area.
Find your area
Use the Explorer to get a summary of the registration numbers for your council. Select your council from the drop down and the headline figures will update. You will also be provided a short summary that you can copy and paste, alongside graphs that show how your area compares with its region and the England average. You will need to download the tool into Excel to be able to use the drop-down feature.
Want the full detail?
A more comprehensive explanation is available in the detailed briefing, including a breakdown of the methododology, an outline of the data sources (DfE School Census and DWP Universal Credit statistics) and the key caveats. We would encourage councils to read it before using the figures for planning.
Feedback
If you notice any issues or want to provide feedback on the tool, please email [email protected].
Prepared by Bremner & Co | June 2026 | Figures are rounded. Free school meal data: DfE School Census, January 2026. Universal Credit data: DWP, November 2025.