Changes to free school meals from September 2026
From September 2026, more children and young people will be eligible for free school meals (FSM).
If your family receives Universal Credit, your child or young person may now qualify for free school meals regardless of your household earnings.
Types of free school meal eligibility
- Targeted free school meals
Children who live in households receiving Universal Credit and earning £7,400 or less per year are eligible for:- free school meals
- pupil premium funding for their school
- Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme
- extended rights home-to-school travel assistance (where applicable)
- Expanded free school meals
Children and young people who live in households receiving Universal Credit and earning more than £7,400 per year are eligible for free school meals only
What do parents and carers need to do?
Parents and carers must apply for free school meals.
Applying is important, as eligible children may be able to access additional support and services, depending on their eligibility category.
If you do not know if your child or young person may be eligible for free school meals, or if you would like advice about your eligibility, please contact the pupil support service.
Parents and carers will be asked for their name, date of birth and national insurance number to check for eligibility.
Existing applications
All children and young people who were previously registered for free school meals have been automatically rechecked. Their eligibility status has been updated on the Ealing Free School Meals portal.
Changes to transitional protection
The transitional protection arrangements that have been in place since 2018 ended at the end of the 2025/26 academic year.
This means that free school meal eligibility is now based on a family's current benefits and income. As a result, some children and young people who were previously eligible may no longer qualify unless they meet the new eligibility criteria.
Comparison of schemes
|
Scheme |
Who receives It? |
Free meal? |
Pupil Premium? |
Holiday Activities and Food eligible? |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 |
yes |
no |
no |
No means test. Available to all infant pupils. |
|
|
Targeted Free School Meals (Benefits-Related FSM) |
Children whose families meet national low-income benefit criteria |
yes |
yes |
yes |
The key eligibility route for deprivation-related support |
|
Expanded Free School Meals (from Sept 2026) |
Children in Universal Credit households above the Targeted FSM earnings threshold |
yes |
no |
no |
Provides a free meal only. Does not attract Pupil Premium or HAF. |
|
All pupils in London state-funded primary schools (Reception-Year 6) |
yes |
no |
no |
Universal offer for London primary pupils. Families should still register for Targeted FSM if eligible. |