Free school meals

Many families in the borough are struggling to afford the basics, but lots of children who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) are not yet receiving them.

The benefits of FSM

savings of more than £450 a year per child
saves time making packed lunches
your child gets a healthy tasty, cooked meal
children achieve more when they've had a cooked lunch
school gets extra funding to help children in their education (pupil premium- up to £1455 a year per child)

Eligibility

Universal FSM - Reception, Year 1 and 2

Your child will be able to get FSM if they are in a government-funded school and they are in:

reception - you can apply as soon as your child's school place has been confirmed
year 1
year 2

Year 3 and above

Your child will be able to get FSM if you receive any of the following:

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)
Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household earnings must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Transitional protections have been extended until the end of the 2025/26 school year. All pupils becoming eligible for free school meals under the benefits-based criteria, should continue to receive this entitlement, regardless of any change in household circumstances or phase of education until the end of the 2025/26 school year.

From the start of the 2026/27 school year, the Department for Education will introduce new eligibility criteria meaning that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive a free meal. It is our intention to end transitional protections alongside this change in threshold, with eligibility for all pupils reverting to whether they meet the eligibility criteria regardless of whether they were previously protected. We will issue further guidance ahead of September 2026.

No recourse to public funds

If you are not able to access financial help from us e.g. benefits, your child will only be able to get FSM if they fall into one of the following eligible groups:

Zambrano carers
families who have no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
a subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Chen carers
families holding a BN(O) passport
spousal visa holders
work visa holders
student visa holders
those with no immigration status

You will also need to evidence that your annual household income is below:

£22,700 for families with one child
£26,300 for families with two or more children

In addition to these thresholds, families must hold no more than £16,000 in capital and savings.

Apply for Free School Meals

Changes to tell us about

you start work and come off benefits
your benefit changes
you change address
your child changes school
you have another child starting school for the first time

Report a change in circumstances

Access for School Administrators

You can use our self service facility to check which of your pupils qualify for free school meals.