Free School Meals (England)
Free school meals
Paid by Department for Education (DfE) / local councils · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
What this pays
The published value, how it is calculated, and whether it is cash or a credit ceiling.
Email and a six-digit code, then €50 a year. No password to forget.
Who qualifies
UnlockThe 5 published rules this programme tests you against — age, income, residency, household and the rest.
The steps, documents and official link are part of the paid plan. Checking how much you're owed stays free.
Where this comes from
From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals, regardless of household earnings.
https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals
A researcher has read this record against the official page.
Last checked against the official page on 5 October 2026
Source: www.gov.uk
Report an error Something wrong or out of date? Tell us.
Related reading: How to read a grant eligibility rule
Other education & training support in United Kingdom
16 more programmes are on the paid plan, with the amount, the rules, the documents and the steps for each.
- Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA Wales)
- 16 to 19 Bursary Fund (England)
- Universal Primary Free School Meals (Wales)
- Free Courses for Jobs (Level 3)
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA, England)
- Care to Learn (childcare costs for young parents in England)
- Childcare Grant (students with children, England)
- Parents' Learning Allowance (England)
- Adult Dependants' Grant (England)
- School Clothing Grant (Scotland, council-administered)
- Free School Meals (Northern Ireland)
- Chevening Scholarships (fully funded UK master's)
- Commonwealth Master's Scholarships (UK)
- GREAT Scholarships (GBP 10,000 towards UK postgraduate tuition)
- Gates Cambridge Scholarship (full cost, postgraduate, outside UK)
- Clarendon Fund scholarships (University of Oxford)
Similar programmes
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme (England)
Department for Education (DfE) / local councils
Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA, England)
Student Finance England (Student Loans Company)
Care to Learn (childcare costs for young parents in England)
Department for Education (via your education provider)
Free Courses for Jobs (Level 3)
Department for Education
Free School Meals (Northern Ireland)
Education Authority (Department of Education, Northern Ireland)
Universal Primary Free School Meals (Wales)
Welsh Government