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From the start of the 2026 school year, all pupils in families receiving Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals, regardless of income. Over half a million children are expected to benefit from the expansion. 

The expansion will see schools across the country delivering a higher volume of meals with a relatively short time period to prepare for the additional demand. 

Peter Oliver, contracts director at Airedale Group, said: “The free school meals expansion is undoubtedly going to place additional demand on school kitchens across the country, but with forward planning, there is an opportunity to improve catering operations and create an efficient cooking environment to deliver a higher volume of meals.”

The advice include:

• Define the objectives of your school kitchen and consider the specific needs that will change with the increased catering demand. 
• Evaluate the current kitchen layout and whether it will meet the additional needs. The layout should be optimised for hygiene, with waste disposal areas positioned away from food preparation areas and cleaning stations placed strategically within the kitchen. 
• Review the kitchen's cooking capacity and whether additional cooking equipment, such as combi-ovens, fryers, and griddles, will be needed to accommodate the increased volume of food prepared. 
• Conduct an assessment of the existing kitchen infrastructure. Identifying areas that require improvement, such as outdated equipment, inadequate storage space, or inefficient workflow. Engage with kitchen staff to gather their insights and incorporate their feedback. 
• Adequate storage is essential for maintaining smooth operations. Appropriate storage for ingredients and equipment helps ensure efficiency while racking systems can offer additional space for kitchen tools, utensils, and crockery.
• To safely store larger quantities of supplies than the kitchen is used to, additional fridges, freezing storage, and food preparation surfaces may need to be planned. 
• To prevent out-of-date food with increased supplies, consider setting up food storage systems with a First-in-First-out (FIFO) stock rotation system.
• Explore extending kitchen facilities by utilising outdoor space. In Caerphilly, Airedale Group delivered a purpose-built new building, which was constructed offsite and transported in for minimal on-site disruption. 
• Plan for temporary school kitchen arrangements. A new kitchen or refurbishment project will likely result in the temporary closure of the existing kitchen. It is crucial to plan alternative arrangements for meal provision during this period if within term time. Options could include utilising a temporary kitchen facility, outsourcing meal provision, or scheduling the refurbishment during school holidays to minimise disruption.

Commercial kitchen specialists from the Airedale Group worked with the Caerphilly County Borough Council to deliver kitchen facility upgrades at 73 schools in just one summer, ensuring they could cope with the introduction of free school meals for all primary-aged children in Wales.