1. Who can apply?
To qualify for free school meals for your children you must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 per year / £616 per month, as assessed by earnings from up to 3 of your most recent assessment periods)
- 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 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Young people who receive any of the above benefits (i.e., they get benefits payments directly, instead of through a parent or guardian) are also entitled to receive Free School Meals at Sixth Form.
You can claim for children attending a state school who are of statutory school age (Reception age to 16) and Sixth Form pupils in schools.
If the pupil attends a college, you will need to contact the college direct.
The Government does not allow us to recognise any other benefit other than those mentioned above.
2. My child is eligible for free school meals, but I don’t want to take up the offer – why am I being encouraged to apply?
For every child that is entitled to protected free school meals means the school receives extra funding to enhance provision and improve progress and outcomes for children.
This is called the Pupil Premium Grant, the school can use this in any way they choose but many use it to provide free milk, reduced cost trips or help with uniforms etc.
Your child can still bring a packed lunch if they prefer but by applying through the Free School Meal Portal you ensure their school receives this grant.
3. What are Universal Infant Free School Meals?
From September 2014 all infant school children were eligible to have a school meal for free, this is regardless of the household income
Please still apply via the portal as your entitlement can be checked and if you are entitled to protected free school meals your school will gain additional funding.
We also regularly review universal applications so see if families have become entitled to protected free school meals.
4. Can over 16s qualify?
To be eligible for a free meal, students must be enrolled in further education (FE) provision funded via Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Eligible institutions are:
- general FE colleges, including specialist colleges
- sixth-form colleges
- independent learning providers
- higher education institutions (HEIs) with ESFA 16 to 19 funding
- special post-16 institutions (SPIs)
- local authorities and FE institutions directly funded for 16 to 19
- 16 to 19 only academies and free schools
- 16 to 19 maintained school
5. What is the Free School Meal Portal?
As a parent and/or carer you can apply for free school meals online along with your school admissions applications.
The Free School Meals Portal also includes an online eligibility checking service which provides instant feedback so we can easily confirm if you are entitled.
The portal keeps your personal details safe between you and the portal.
6. Do you need to have a computer to do this?
No, applications can also be made using your smartphone or tablet. It is also possible to use computers at Gloucestershire libraries.
7. What do you need to apply?
You will need to have an email address and your National Insurance or National Asylum Support Service (NASS) number to hand.
8. Can I use my login and password which I had when I applied for a school place?
Yes, it will be the same login and password as when you applied through the portal for school admissions or if you have recently made an application through the Year 2 funding portal.
9. Is this the only method of applying?
The Free School Meals Team can provide a paper copy if you cannot use the portal.
Most applicants use the portal as this can advise you of your entitlement shortly after you have fully submitted your application.
You can change the language on the site if you prefer.
Paper forms will typically take 5 days to process once they reach the team.
With the portal applications the schools are immediately informed via a link to our database.
10. Do all parents need to apply?
If your child(ren) is currently receiving free school meals, it is not necessary to apply again. This system for applying is for new claimants only.
11. Do parents from all Gloucestershire schools apply through the Gloucestershire County Council portal?
One Gloucestershire school has opted to administer their free school meal applications themselves rather than apply through Gloucestershire County Council.
If your child attend the school below, please contact the school directly to apply for free school meals:
- Bourton on the Water Primary School
12. Will my claim be backdated?
No. In accordance with the Department for Education's policy, entitlement to free meals will start from the date entitlement is confirmed. Therefore, it is important to apply as soon as you can.
13. What can I expect my child to receive as a meal?
A school meal can be either hot or cold. It depends on what facilities the school has. Drinking water should be provided by all schools, and you will need to pay for any alternative drinks.
14. How do I apply for free milk?
If your child’s primary school provides milk at break time, this will be free for the time your child is entitled to free school meals. Please contact your child’s school to see if free milk is available and how to apply for it. This is not available in secondary schools.
15. How will the school know my child does not have to pay for school meals?
The schools have a link to the free school meals entitlement for their own school, as this is a live link it is updated immediately.
Each school makes its own arrangements for notifying the dinner service staff which children are eligible to receive free school meals. You can use your letter of entitlement as confirmation.
Please contact the school if you would like to know how the meal will be provided.
16. What if my benefits cease?
You will need to contact the Free School Meals Team immediately. They can check if your child is on the protected period for free school meals, in which case your child can continue to receive free school meals until the end of the protected period.
The team can be contacted on freeschoolmeals@gloucestershire.gov.uk and will be able to give you this date.
17. What if I change school?
If your child transfers school and was receiving free school meals at their previous Gloucestershire County Council school, you do not need to reapply as entitlement will transfer automatically once the allocation process is completed by the new school.
If your child is moving into Gloucestershire from out of county or country, you will need to apply on the portal to get free school meals.
If you think your circumstances have changed but your child was on protected free school meals at a previous out of county school, you can write to your previous local authority and get confirmation of this protection and the start and end dates.
We would require you to email confirmation from your previous local authority to us and we will be able to honour this protection.
18. What does “Transitional Protection” mean?
If your child is claiming free school meals based on benefits as of 1 April 2018 their entitlement will be protected until the end of the 2025/26 school year regardless of any change in household circumstances, including an increase in earnings above the eligibility threshold, or phase of education.
It is the Department for Education’s intention that all protections will be discontinued from the start of the 2026/27 academic year.
19. My eldest child’s free school meals are protected until 31 March 2025. Will this protection cover future applications for siblings?
Protection is exclusive to the child that is protected and will not automatically cover siblings. For a sibling to be protected the family will have to meet the free school meals criteria at the time of the application.
If you do not meet the free school meals criteria the protected child will remain entitled until the end of the 2025/26 school year but any subsequent applications for siblings will not be approved or protected.