Why are free school meals so important?

• They save you significant money (up to £495 per year) as the cost of living increases
• They improve children's concentration, ability to learn, and behaviour
• They give children the nutrients they need to grow and develop
• They introduce healthy eating habits at a young age
• They're just really comforting.

On top of this, the school gets extra funding from Government for each child receiving a free school meal (FSM). It's a win-win for you, your children, and the school.

If your child is eligible for free school meals, we want to ensure they get them.

Who can get free school meals?

From September 2026, the Government is expanding eligibility so that all households receiving Universal Credit will qualify for FSM. This change removes the current £7,400 income cap and is expected to benefit over a half a million additional pupils nationwide. It also means that from September 2026 there will be three types of FSM.

1. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

No change here. All children in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 will continue to automatically get free school meals through the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme, regardless of whether they qualify for benefits related FSM under either of the following criteria. 

Whilst there is no need to apply for UIFSM, we still want to know if you qualify for the following types of FSM, because they allow us to claim additional funding to support your child at school.

2. Targeted FSM

This continues to be based on the existing threshold, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less.

Children are eligible if the parent or primary guardian is receiving: 

• Universal Credit with an annual household earned income of less than £7,400
• Income Related Employment Support Allowance
• Guaranteed Pension Credit
• Asylum Support: support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (please bring your Home Office letter into school) 
• meet criteria set out in separate guidance for families with no recourse to public funds

In addition to receiving free meals, pupils eligible for targeted FSM will attract additional funding for the school. This is called Pupil Premium. 

3. Expanded FSM

From September 2026, children are eligible if the parent or primary guardian is receiving: 

• Universal Credit with an annual household earned income of more than £7,400

Transitional protection

Since 1st April 2018, any child who was already in receipt of a FSM award or since had an award put in place, kept their entitlement even if their family circumstances changed. This will no longer apply from September 2026. Any children transitionally protected, whose parents/carers no longer meet the new eligibility criteria, will no longer be able to claim FSM from September 2026. This means we will be required to keep eligibility for FSM under review through annual rechecks. 

How can you help?

It's important to note that while eligibility will be automatically granted to all Universal Credit recipients, families still need to actually apply to receive the benefit. 

We use in house sofware linked to the Department for Education's Eligibility Checking Service (ECS) to apply on your behalf. We just need your consent, and a few personal details, to make the application. We only apply once. Our software then continually checks the ECS and notifies us on new applications or changes to an existing application.

Please give your consent when we ask for it, so your child can get free school meals, and we can get additional funding to support your child's education.