School meals

Find out where hot lunches are on offer and if your child is eligible for free school dinners.

If you are on a qualifying benefit and do not already receive Free School Meals (FSM), we urge you to make a formal application as soon as possible. This can benefit your child's school as they can claim extra funding (Pupil Premium).

Currently, Oxfordshire are providing vouchers to families during the school holidays if you are eligible.

Who is eligible for free school meals?

Free school meals are available to children whose parents or carers are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker's allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Child tax credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
  • Working tax credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  • Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your additional net earned household income must be less then £7,400 a year approximately £616 per month (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

We are not allowed to recognise any other benefit other than those mentioned above.

My child receives Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM). Can they still be eligible for free school meals?

All children in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 can receive school meals at no cost to you, this is the universal infant free school meal entitlement.

Any child who attends school for at least one full day a week and whose parents match the eligibility criteria, can receive benefits-related free school meals. A child in Key Stage 1 who is eligible will then be protected (under transitional protection) and will continue to receive free school meals even when they are no longer eligible for UIFSM i.e. when they move to Year 3.

Are nursery pupils eligible for benefits-related free school meals? 

Where a child attends a maintained nursery (including academies), for at least one full day a week (before and after the lunch break) and their parents are in receipt of a qualifying benefit then the child is eligible for benefits-related free school meals. If your child is at a maintained nursery school or class, you can apply to claim free school meals provided they attend for a full day, and you are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits

When should I apply?

You should apply to your school when you first start to receive benefit as claims are not backdated.   This will be reviewed annually.

You should notify your child’s school immediately if any changes occur to your benefits.

How do I apply?

Where your child is enrolled at a school, the responsibility for determining entitlement is with them.  

You should ask your child's school for an application form that you can complete and return to the school for an assessment.  They may ask you to provide evidence.

Where your child is not on the roll of a school, or the school or setting they attend is not able to provide a meal, you should contact us for further information.

Why should I apply?

When a claim has been made on your child’s behalf and their eligibility, or protected status, has been verified they will be provided with a healthy and nutritious meal in school at no cost to you.

Children who are entitled to free school meals may also benefit from

In addition, the school can claim the Pupil Premium funding from the Department of Education

  • £1,345 per child for those attending a primary school
  • £955 per child for those attending a secondary school

Government funding is provided even if your child does not want the meal and is used to help children from lower income families achieve their very best at school.

Transitional Protections

Transitional Protection (TP) for free school meals was introduced in 2018 to help families avoid losing their entitlement while Universal Credit was being rolled out.  This ensured they continued receiving free school meals even if their household income increased above the threshold.  This was originally set until March 2022 and was subsequently extended to March 2025, when Universal Credit rollout is expected to be completed.

This protection has now been extended further and will remain in place until the end of the 2025/26 academic year.

How it works?

A child who was eligible on 1 April 2018 or has become eligible under the benefits related earnings criteria since then, will continue to receive free school meals even if their household income exceeds the eligibility threshold up until the end of the 2025/26 academic year.

When should schools request eligibility checks?

Those children whose eligibility was checked and confirmed since 1 April 2018 are protected and do not require a recheck until the end of the 2025/26 academic year.

Requests, where possible, should be submitted as a batch file.  

Guidance is available for schools, academies and free schools at Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities - GOV.UK