Free School Meals

Free School Meals (FSM) - Changes from September 2026:

From September 2026, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will become eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), removing the current £7,400 earned income threshold. This is expected to significantly increase the number of pupils entitled to FSM.

There will be two FSM categories:

Targeted FSM - pupils from Universal Credit households with annual earnings of £7,400 or less. This group will continue to be used for deprivation funding measures, including the Ever 6 FSM cohort and related funding calculations.

Expanded FSM - pupils from households receiving Universal Credit who are above the £7,400 earnings threshold but are now entitled to a free meal.

In addition, transitional protections that have been in place since April 2018 will end from September 2026. From this point, FSM eligibility will be based on a pupil's current household circumstances and pupils will need to meet the relevant eligibility criteria to continue receiving FSM.

Although eligibility is expanding, schools will still need to:

Continue to encourage parents and carers to apply/register for FSM
Maintain processes for checking and recording eligibility to ensure pupils receive their entitlement and schools receive the appropriate funding
Continue identifying pupils eligible for Targeted FSM, as this remains important for deprivation-related funding and the Ever 6 FSM measure
Review and plan for increased demand on catering capacity, dining spaces and meal service arrangements due to the larger number of eligible pupils
Ensure families understand that FSM registration remains important, even where children are entitled through the expanded Universal Credit criteria

Annual re-checks from 1st June:

A key change is the introduction of annual FSM eligibility re-checks. Schools should recheck eligibility for all FSM pupils between 1 June and 1 October each year to confirm entitlement for the following academic year.

The DfE's Eligibility Checking Service (ECS):

This service will operate a re-check window from 1 June to 1 October 2026, allowing schools to verify entitlement ahead of the September implementation date. Schools are encouraged to complete checks as early as possible to ensure pupils receive meals from the start of term and that funding is correctly allocated. This means FSM eligibility will no longer be protected indefinitely once awarded; instead, entitlement will be reviewed annually based on current household circumstances.

Key message:

While eligibility is expanding significantly from September 2026, schools will still need to promote and support FSM registration, undertake annual eligibility re-checks from 1 June each year, and accurately record FSM status to ensure eligible pupils receive their entitlement and schools receive the appropriate funding.

FSM Auto-Enrolment:

While the Council will be entering its second year of FSM auto-enrolment, we expect schools to continue to undertake the actions outlined above, including promoting FSM registration, supporting families with applications where required, ensuring pupils are correctly recorded, and participating in the annual eligibility re-check process. The Local Authority will provide schools with details of children and young people who are identified as eligible for FSM but were not recorded on the May 2026 census, enabling schools to update their records, maximise take-up and ensure pupils receive their entitlement. We expect to share this information with schools from 22nd September 2026, following a period during which parents and carers of identified children and young people will be given the opportunity to opt out of auto-enrolment. Auto-enrolment is therefore intended to complement, rather than replace, schools' existing responsibilities for FSM administration, recording and eligibility verification.

For further support and guidance please refer to:

Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, local-authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools - GOV.UK

Free school meals expansion grant: methodology - GOV.UK

Operational readiness checklist for schools (Annex D) - GOV.UK

Expanding free school meals: what parents need to know - The Education Hub

FSM Guidance:

Free school meals

Free meals in further education funded institutions guide: academic year 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Get extra funding for your early years provider - GOV.UK

Pupil premium: overview - GOV.UK

16 to 19 education: financial support for students - GOV.UK

Guidance and support for schools