Free School Meals

Apply online for Free School Meals

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Who is eligible for free school meals?

Free school meals are available to children whose parents or carers receive one of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit
• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Households may also be entitled to a meal if they:

• are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• receive the guarantee element of Pension Credit
• meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds

What this means for families

• If you receive Universal Credit, your child will be entitled to free school meals from September 2026.
• If your child already receives free school meals, this will continue until the end of July 2026 under the current arrangements.
• From September 2026, eligibility will be assessed under the new national criteria

There are three different types of free school meals. These are based on different government schemes:

Targeted free school meals 

Children may be entitled to Targeted FSM if their parent or carer receives certain qualifying benefits and meets specific income-related criteria.

Eligibility under this scheme is used to determine whether a school receives additional funding through the Pupil Premium, which supports children from lower-income families.

Expanded free school meals 

Children will be entitled to Expanded FSM if their parent or carer receives Universal Credit, regardless of household income.

This expanded entitlement increases access to free meals; however, Pupil Premium funding will continue to be based on the targeted eligibility criteria.