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Guidance

Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities

Guidance for schools and local authorities about providing school meals, including information on free school meal eligibility.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
22 March 2018
Last updated:
7 October 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added guidance on implementing changes to free school meals.

  2. Updated 'Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' and 'Application form for free school meals from families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' with information about 'targeted' and 'expanded' income thresholds.

  3. Updated the guidance document to add information about the one-off extension until 2 November 2026 for completing free school meals eligibility checks for the autumn 2026 school census. Added a link to the funding arrangements for school-based nurseries and maintained nursery schools.

  4. Added a template letter about the change in eligibility criteria for free school meals.

  5. Updated 'Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, local-authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools' with information on a new checking service.

  6. Added 'Model parent or carer communication for schools and local authorities: free school meals changes – 2026 to 2027 academic year'.

  7. Updated guidance on free school meals and added additional information on evidence of eligibility for Universal Credit recipients. We have also added a model registration form and self -employment declaration for schools to share with parents and an operational readiness checklist for schools.

  8. We have updated this guidance to confirm that all households in receipt of Universal Credit will be entitled to receive free school meals from the start of the 2026 to 2027 school year. We have also extended transitional protections until the end of the 2025 to 2026 school year.

  9. Updated 'Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' to include eVisas.

  10. Updated 'Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, maintained schools, academies and free schools' with guidance on children receiving education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) and reasonable adjustments for disabled children.

  11. 'Free school meals: guidance for local authorities, maintained schools, academies and free schools' has been replaced with an updated version that adds revised dates for transitional protections, amends broken links and removes outdated information.

  12. 'Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' has been updated with new income thresholds information.

  13. Schools can claim additional pupil premium funding in 2022 to 2023 for pupils that have become eligible as a result of the permanent extension of free school meal eligibility. Added a link in 'Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' to the claims form which needs to be submitted by 11:59pm on 8 July 2022.

  14. Added a new guidance document on 'Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)' and a sample application form.

  15. Updated to confirm manual checking arrangements for the self-employed.

  16. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

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

HTML

Implementing changes to free school meals

HTML

Template letter about changes to free school meals eligibility

MS Word Document, 54 KB

Model registration form for free school meal eligibility (Annex A)

MS Word Document, 45.9 KB

Evidence of eligibility for free school meals (Annex B)

HTML

Self-employment declaration form (Annex C)

MS Word Document, 37.3 KB

Operational readiness checklist for schools (Annex D)

HTML

Model parent or carer communication for schools and local authorities: free school meals changes – 2026 to 2027 academic year

MS Word Document, 55 KB

Providing free school meals to families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

HTML

Application form for free school meals from families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

MS Word Document, 93.1 KB

Details

This guidance helps schools and local authorities understand:

  • their obligations to provide free school meals (FSM) 
  • the FSM eligibility criteria

It is for:

  • school leaders, school staff and governing bodies in:

    • local-authority-maintained schools
    • academies
    • free schools
    • non-maintained special schools

  • local authorities

Alongside the main guidance, we have provided:

  • documents that schools and local authorities can share with parents:

    • a template letter about changes to FSM eligibility
    • a model registration form for FSM eligibility
    • a self-employment declaration form
    • model communication about the FSM changes for the 2026 to 2027 academic year
  • guidance for schools on the assessment of earnings for Universal Credit recipients (annex B)
  • an operational readiness checklist for schools
  • guidance on FSM eligibility for those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
  • an application form for NRPF families and carers to verify their eligibility

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