#2026/639England updates pupil data rules for kinship care, free school meals, and breakfast clubs
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This law expands the pupil information that schools in England may be asked to provide to the Secretary of State from 1 September 2026. Schools will need to record, where known, whether a pupil is living in kinship care and whether the arrangement is formal or informal. It also updates free school meals data so schools report eligibility details, including the date of the eligibility check and the legal basis or other arrangement used. Relevant schools must also provide detailed information about free breakfast club availability and attendance for qualifying primary pupils. The practical impact is mainly administrative: schools and local education systems will need to make sure their data collection, attendance tracking, and reporting processes can capture these new fields.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Adds a new pupil data field for kinship care arrangements, including whether the arrangement is formal or informal
- Updates free school meal reporting to include eligibility check dates and the basis for eligibility
- Introduces detailed reporting on free breakfast club availability and attendance for qualifying primary pupils
Obligations
What this law requires
When requested for pupil information, schools in England must provide, where known, whether each pupil lives in kinship care arrangements and whether those arrangements are formal or informal.
When reporting free school meals information, schools must state whether the pupil has applied and been found eligible for free school meals under sections 512(3) and 512ZB of the Education Act 1996 or under other arrangements.
For pupils found eligible for free school meals, schools must report the date of the eligibility check.
For pupils found eligible for free school meals, schools must report the statutory provision or details of other arrangements under which the pupil is eligible.
Relevant schools must report, for each qualifying primary pupil and for the period specified in the information request, the total number of relevant school days on which free breakfast club provision was made available to the pupil.