Impacts of discretionary universal free school meal schemes on primary school children’s education attainment and school absence: A natural experiment study in England

• Some areas of high child poverty offer free school lunch for all 4-11-year olds. • No effects were found on attainment or absence after 6 years of implementation. • Longest running schemes (7+ years) showed positive effects on reading and maths. • Scheme effects differed by local authority. Discretionary Universal Free School Meal (UFSM) schemes for 4-11-year-olds were implemented in four local authorities with high child poverty levels in London, UK. The schemes were initiated between 2009/10 and 2014/15. The first scheme was evaluated as part of a national 2-year pilot. The present study concerns the first six years of all four schemes. In addition, we report on the longer-term effects (7+ years) for two of the schemes while the others were interrupted by COVID-19. The intention-to-treat impacts on z-score standardised attainment scores (reading, mathematics) and school absence in 10-11-year-olds were studied in a natural experiment design. We used a dynamic difference-in-differences approach with matched controls in sociodemographically similar neighbourhoods elsewhere in London. UFSM provision was on average not significantly associated with attainment nor absence during the initial six years of the schemes. However, scheme effects differed by local authority with the two longest running schemes showing positive results for reading and mathematics as secondary outcomes. Further studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms, how the schemes impact on the school environments, and how they may be improved.