The DfE has launched a consultation on a proposed approach to revising the Universal Credit entitlement criteria for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) and Free School Meals (FSM). To enable a greater number of children to benefit from free school meals, the DfE is proposing a net earnings threshold of £7,400 per annum for a household’s eligibility for free school meals. It is estimated that, under this threshold, an extra 50,000 children would become eligible for free school meals, compared to today’s number of claimants. The DfE also proposes to use the same level of net earned income to determine eligibility for the early years pupil premium, in order to maintain consistency with the school-aged pupil premium. The consultation can be accessed here.