Free school meals

If you receive certain benefits, you may be entitled to claim free school meals for your child, depending on your household income. Plymouth City Council can check your eligibility online.

Schools receive additional funding (Pupil Premium) for every eligible child.

Qualifying benefits

If you are in receipt of the following support payments, your child may be entitled to receive free school meals:

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 (IS)
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (IRESA)
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Child Tax Credit (provided you're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, that does not exceed £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on (the payment someone receives for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also allowed to receive free school meals.

No recourse to public funds (NRPF)

Eligibility for free school meals has been permanently extended to children from all families with NRPF, subject to the following maximum income thresholds:

£22,700 per annum for families outside London with one child
£26,300 per annum for families outside London with two or more children

These groups include children of Zambrano carers / NRPF families 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 / NRPF families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 / 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.

Any applications submitted without supporting documents will be refused.

Transitional protection

All existing free school meals claimants will continue to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This will apply even if your earnings rise above the new threshold during that time.

Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, if you no longer meet the eligibility criteria at that point (because you are earning above the threshold or are no longer a recipient of Universal Credit) your child will continue to receive free school meals until the end of the phase of education (primary or secondary) they are in on 31 March 2025.

Universal infant free school meals

In 2014, the Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) policy was introduced, stipulating that all children in England's state-funded schools in reception, year 1 and year 2 are entitled to a free school lunch. This includes academies, free schools, pupil referral units and alternative provisions as well as maintained schools.

If you receive one of the qualifying benefits for standard Free School Meals, complete an application form as your child's school can get extra funding if you do.

Free school meals for nursery children

Free school meals are available for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds in the following school-based nursery units, if the child attends both the morning and afternoon session on the same day and parents are in receipt of qualifying benefits (see above):

Academies
Beechwood Primary School and Nursery Unit
Eggbuckland Vale Primary School and Nursery Unit
Elburton Primary School and Nursery Unit
Ernesettle Community School and Nursery Unit
Ford Primary School and Nursery Unit
High Street Primary School and Nursery Unit
Knowle Primary School
Leigham Primary School and Nursery Unit
Marine Academy Nursery
Mayflower Community School and Nursery Unit
Morice Town Primary School and Nursery Unit
Mount Street Primary School and Nursery Unit
Mount Wise Community Primary School & Nursery Unit
Millbay Academy (Plymouth School of Creative Arts)
Oreston Community Academy Nursery
Plaistow Hill Infant School and Nursery Unit
Pomphlett Primary School
Shakespeare Primary School and Nursery Unit
St Edward's
St Mathews Academy & Nursery Unit Mini Matts
Victoria Road
Weston Mill Primary & Nursery Unit
Widewell Primary Academy
Woodfield Primary School & Nursery Unit
Maintained Nursery Schools
Ham Drive Day Care
Plym Bridge Nursery School and Children's Centre
Maintained Schools
High View School
Mary Dean's CoE Primary School and Nursery Unit
Riverside Community Primary School & Nursery Unit
St Peter's CofE Primary School and Nursery Unit

How to apply for free school meals

The council has a new application form for applying for free school meals, you now apply through their Citizen Portal.

After you apply through the Citizen Portal, the school is asked to confirm that your child is in attendance. An online government checking system is used to determine eligibility and the result of this check is emailed to you and your child's school.

If you have any issues applying with the new application form, you can apply through their old form.

Email fsm@plymouth.gov.uk or call 01752 307410 for more information.

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