NI education: School meals price rises for second time in a year

NI education: School meals price rises for second time in a year

The price of a school dinner in a primary school will have risen from £2.60 to £3.40 since the start of 2026.

A lot on its plate: School meal prices to rise as EA confirms stringent new measures to balance books

The cost of school meals is set to increase across the board from January as part of stringent new measures by the Education Authority to save money. Taxi services will also be impacted by changes just confirmed, with a move towards ‘parental payments’ for new users going forward, and free travel for the Music Service hit too. Some programmes offered by schools will now end, while the EA will be forced to go cap in hand to DAERA in the hope that…

Cost of school meals to rise again as Education Authority announces further cost-cutting measures

EA dealing with ‘exceptionally challenging financial position’

School meals to rise as Education Authority unveils £20m cuts but warns of £100m funding gap

Tuesday 10 November 2026 Families across Northern Ireland will face higher school meal prices from January, while changes to school transport, music tuition and funding for schools form part of a further £20 million savings package agreed by the Education Authority (EA). The measures will bring the Authority’s planned savings and efficiencies to approximately £50 million this financial year, yet it is still forecasting a funding shortfall of mor…