Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities
Guidance for schools and local authorities about providing school meals including information on free school meal eligibility.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
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Updates to this page
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We have updated this guidance to confirm that all households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive free school meals from the start of the 2026 to 2027 school year. We have also extended transitional protections until the end of the 2025 to 2026 school year.
Update history
2026-05-08 12:53
Updated guidance on free school meals and added additional information on evidence of eligibility for Universal Credit recipients. We have also added a model registration form and self -employment declaration for schools to share with parents and an operational readiness checklist for schools.
2025-06-05 12:20
We have updated this guidance to confirm that all households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive free school meals from the start of the 2026 to 2027 school year. We have also extended transitional protections until the end of the 2025 to 2026 school year.
2024-10-29 11:28
Updated ‘Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)’ to include eVisas.
2024-03-25 10:00
Updated ‘Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, maintained schools, academies and free schools’ with guidance on children receiving education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) and reasonable adjustments for disabled children.
2023-01-31 16:32
‘Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, maintained schools, academies and free schools’ has been replaced with an updated version that adds revised dates for transitional protections, amends broken links and removes outdated information.
2022-10-28 12:46
‘Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)’ has been updated with new income thresholds information.
2022-06-09 09:30
Schools can claim additional pupil premium funding in 2022 to 2023 for pupils that have become eligible as a result of the permanent extension of free school meal eligibility. Added a link in ‘Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)’ to the claims form which needs to be submitted by 11:59pm on 8 July 2022.
2022-04-13 15:39
Added a new guidance document on ‘Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)’ and a sample application form.