Free school meals

Who can apply for free school meals?

The government has announced changes to the entitlement criteria for free school meals from September 2026. Until then, the current criteria apply.

You can apply if you receive one of these benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (not ‘new style’)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (not ‘new style’)
• Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) and household income of £16,190 or less
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying)
• Universal Credit with annual net earned income of £7,400 or less

Apply online using our application form.

Additional criteria for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

Families in these groups may apply:

• Zambrano carers
• Families with a right to remain under Article 8 ECHR
• Families supported under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989
• Failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Chen carers
• BN(O) passport holders
• Spousal, work or student visa holders
• Those with no immigration status

Income must be below £22,700 for one child or £26,300 for two or more children, and savings under £16,000. A different application form and evidence are required. 

My child is moving school, do I have to reapply?

If your child moves to or from a school outside Staffordshire, you must reapply. If moving between Staffordshire schools, check if the new school uses our service.

Do I need to provide proof of my benefits?

We usually check entitlement using the National Free School Meals Eligibility Checking Service. We need your National Insurance number (or asylum support number) and date of birth.

If the check fails, we will ask for proof such as:

• Recent letter from the Benefits Agency
• Pension Credit M1000 Award Notice
• All pages of TC602 Tax Credit award notice
• Letter from the National Asylum Support Office
• Three most recent Universal Credit statements

Do you deal with applications for all Staffordshire schools?

No. If you wish to apply for free school meals for any of the following schools, you need to contact them directly as they do not use us to deal with free school meal entitlement:

• All Saints C of E Primary School, Trysull
• Beaconfields Primary School
• Bhylls Acre Primary School
• Birds Bush Primary School
• Blackfriars FE (now known as Newfriars)
• Bursley Academy
• Burton Fields School
• Cannock Chase High School
• Chase View Primary School
• Cheslyn Hay Primary School
• Chesterton Community Sports College
• Chesterton Primary School
• Church Eaton Primary School
• Churchfields Primary School
• Crackley Bank Primary School
• Eton Park Junior School
• Forest Hills Primary School, Rugeley
• Gnosall St Lawrence Primary Academy
• Grange School
• Haughton St Giles Primary Academy
• Horninglow Primary School
• John of Rolleston Primary School
• Kidsgrove Secondary School
• Landau Forte Academy, Amington
• Lansdowne Academy
• Madeley High School
• Nether Stowe School
• Norton Canes Primary Academy
• Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy
• Outwoods Primary School
• Redbrook Hayes Primary School
• Richard Wakefield Primary School
• Rocklands School
• Seabridge Primary School
• St Benedict Biscop Primary School
• St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School
• St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy
• St John's Primary Academy, Essington
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hednesford
• St Modwen's Catholic Primary School
• St Paul's C of E Primary School, Stafford
• St Peter's CE Primary Academy, Hednesford
• St Peter's CofE (A) Primary School, Caverswall
• Sun Academy Bradwell
• The de Ferrers Academy
• Tillington Manor Primary School
• Willows Primary, Lichfield
• William Shrewsbury Primary School
• Woodseaves Primary Academy

For all other Staffordshire state schools (including academies), apply through Staffordshire County Council.

What should I do if my situation changes?

Contact the Free School Meals team if your circumstances change. We may also carry out checks during the year.

Is my child entitled to any further support?

If your child is in secondary school and you claim free school meals or maximum Working Tax Credit, you may get help with school transport. See our School Transport Policy.

My child receives education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) – can they receive any assistance?

In line with Department for Education non-statutory guidance, there is no duty for Staffordshire County Council to provide free meals or an alternative to EOTAS pupils. Staffordshire has agreed to pay a discretionary Equivalent Food Provision grant for pupils who meet all the following conditions:

• The child is a Staffordshire resident in national curriculum year Reception to the end of year 14 and
• the child would meet the published criteria for free school meals if they were on roll at a school (under the standard benefits related grounds or No Recourse to Public Funds criteria), and have made a claim which has been verified by the County Council as eligible and
• have a live finalised Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and
• are receiving EOTAS under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and have no provision named in section I of their EHCP

The grant will be provided in the form of a supermarket voucher, the annual total value being based on the free school meals funding factor amount stated in the DfE National funding formulae for schools and high needs guidance for that academic year. This will be paid in advance of the start of each half term (based on SCC published term dates) as 1/6th of the total annual value, rounded up to the nearest full pound.

Payments will be calculated from 25 March 2024 (the date that the new guidance was issued) or the date the finalised EOTAS EHCP was issued and FSM eligibility was confirmed, whichever is the latter. For those who become eligible for support part way through a term, payment for that half term will be reduced by 1/7th for each full week before they became eligible in that half term (rounded up to the nearest £1 with a minimum £5 payment being made). Staffordshire County Council will not provide any retrospective payments before the new guidance was issued on 24 March 2024.

Consideration will be given under exceptional grounds for other Staffordshire resident free school meals eligible EOTAS pupils who do not meet the above criteria. Each will be individually assessed based on the information provided by the applicant and there is no guarantee that a grant will be provided.

Any queries related to the equivalent food provision grant (for EOTAS pupils only) should be emailed to EFP@staffordshire.gov.uk.