Are you eligible for free school meals?
If your child goes to a Shropshire Council-maintained school or academy school you may be able to claim for free school meals. There are two types of free school meals:
- Government (benefits-related) free school meals
- Universal infant free school meals
Who qualifies for government free school meals?
Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of, one or more of the following benefits:
- Universal credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
- 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 guarantee 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 four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit
Free school meal transitional protections
Under the free school meal protections policy that was introduced on 1 April 2018, a pupil who was free school meals eligible on 1 April 2018, or who became eligible under the benefits/low-earnings criteria since then (up to 31/03/25) will continue to receive free meals until the end of the phase of education that they are in (i.e. primary or secondary), when the transitional protection period ends.
The transitional protection period for free school meals ended on 31 March 2025.
New free school meals applications from 1 April 2025
For all pupils who become eligible for free school meals for the first time from 1 April 2025, their eligibility will be reviewed termly.
Who qualifies for universal infant free school meals?
All children in key stage 1 (reception class, year 1 and year 2) are automatically entitled to have a free school meal through universal infant free school meals (UIFSM). You don't have to apply for universal infant free school meals, but in order for your child's school to recognise who is eligible for universal meals and who qualifies for government free school meals for funding purposes, we encourage all parents who meet the eligibility criteria for government free school meals to apply.
What is pupil premium?
The government will continue to provide schools with additional funding to support or enhance the learning of pupils who are currently or have been entitled to free school meals within the last six years. It's essential that parents/carers apply for free school meals even if the pupil doesn't wish to receive a free school meal.