Free school meals

About free school meals

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to Universal free school meals.

If you receive certain benefits, your child may be entitled to free school meals from Reception, including sixth form or college students.

How to apply for free school meals

You should check the eligibility criteria before completing an application form.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply for free school meals for your child using the online application form, unless your child attends one of the schools listed below that process applications directly.

Your application will be processed by Cambridgeshire County Council within three working days of receiving the online form. If successful, you and your child's school will be informed of your child's entitlement to free school meals. Applications that do not pass, will be continually checked for Eligibility.

Eligibility for free school meals

Your child may be eligible for free school meals 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)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for four 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)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

Your child may also get free school meals if you receive any of these benefits and your child is both:

• Younger than the compulsory starting age of school
• In full-time education

Infant free school meals

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are eligible for Universal free school meals if they're in a Government-funded school.

You need to apply if you wish to benefit from the Low Income FSM and Pupil Premium.
Currently it may mean you become eligible for the Holiday Vouchers Scheme and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme. 

Pupil Premium

Pupil Premium is additional funding that the government gives to schools for every child from Reception to Year 11 considered to be disadvantaged.

Your child's school will receive the Pupil Premium if you apply for free school meals and you meet the eligibility criteria above.

You can find out more about Pupil Premium on GOV.UK.

Free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds

The following groups of children are included for free school meals who have no recourse to public funds and whose gross household income is no more than £26,300 per year.

These groups are:

• Children of Zambrano carers (where the child is a British citizen but their carer is not)
• Children of families who have a right to remain in the UK under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)
• Children of families supported under Section 17 of Children Act (1989) who are subject to no recourse of public funds
• Families holding a BN(O) Passport
• Spousal, Work or Student visa holders
• Those with no immigration status

The criteria also includes children of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. For these children the household income thresholds do not apply.

If you believe your child may qualify under the new criteria, please contact the Education Welfare Benefits team at Cambridgeshire County Council by emailing ewb.fsm@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or calling 01223 703 200 to request an application form.