Free School Meals
Important Changes from 1st April 2025
From 1 April 2025, the Government's transitional protection arrangements for means tested Free School Meals (FSM) will end. Any eligible claims confirmed from this date will no longer be protected. This means any child confirmed as eligible for free school meals from 1 April 2025 will be subject to ongoing checks to confirm continued eligibility. This will not impact any children who are already confirmed as eligible. Those already confirmed as eligible will maintain their eligibility until the end of their current school phase of education. At that point, they will be re-assessed for their eligibility status. This will apply to all year 6 moving into year 7 in September 2025. These children will then be subject to ongoing checks to confirm continued eligibility.
It is important to remind all parents and legal guardians who do not have a current claim or eligibility for FSM to apply for FSM between now and the end of March 2025 if they think their child may be eligible, to ensure their claim and future funding are protected. Only applications processed before 1 April 2025 will maintain transitional protection.
If your circumstances have changed and you are now in receipt of benefits such as Universal Credit, then you may be entitled to apply for Free School Meals for your child. Even if your circumstances have only changed for the short term, you still have the right to apply.
The Free School Meals entitlement can be applied for where the parent’s income satisfies the following conditions at the time of applying:
- Income Support.
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit.
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190).
- Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.
- Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get).
If you believe your child should be eligible for Free School Meals based on these criteria, you can apply now through our online eligibility checker. This is a quick and easy way to make your application and we will confirm your eligibility once the check is completed.
Where benefit claims have only recently progressed, there may be a delay in confirming eligibility, however our system re-checks every day for 30 days to allow time for benefit claims to update on the Department for Work and Pensions systems.
If you required assistance or would like the school to submit an application on your behalf, please contact us directly by phone.
If your circumstances subsequently change and you are no longer entitled to Free School Meals, your child’s school will continue to receive funding to support your child for 6 years. All matters regarding Free School Meals are treated confidentially and your child will be using our cashless catering system along with all of their classmates.