Your child may be eligible to receive Free School Meals: 

If you are in receipt of any of the following then the answer is Yes, your child is eligible for Free School Meals: 

• Income Support 

• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance. Please note the ‘new style’ job seekers allowance is not a qualifying benefit, as this is based upon payment of National Insurance contributions and not the household income 

• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance. Please note the ‘new style’ employment and support allowance is not a qualifying benefit, as this is based upon payment of National Insurance contributions and not the household income 

• eligible for Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax Credit and the household income (as used by HMRC to assess tax credits) is not more that £16,190. Please note: anyone eligible for Working Tax Credit, or if you have a partner and they receive it, regardless of Income, you will not qualify 

• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit 

• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 

• In receipt of the 4 week run on of working tax credit (this is where someone becomes unemployed or reduces their hours and so is no longer entitled to working tax credit but will continue to receive it for a further 4 weeks and is entitled to free meals during that time) 

• Universal credit (provided you have an annual net earned household income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods). Your net earned income is your household income after taxes and deductions and does not include income from Universal Credit or any other benefits you may receive. 

If you think you may be entitled to Free School Meals for your child, you can apply online 

Overview - Free school meals - Staffordshire County Council 

For families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) please refer to the Staffordshire County council to see if you may be eligible for free school meal support for your child. 

Important Information about Free School Meals 

What's Changing? 

• Transitional Protection (TP) for Free School Meals (FSM) started on 1 April 2018. This meant that if a child was eligible for FSM and their circumstances changed, they would still receive FSM until they finished their current phase of education. 

• TP for FSM is ending on 31 March 2025. 

From 1 April 2025: 

• The Government's special arrangements for FSM will end. 

• Any new claims for FSM from this date will not be protected. This means that children who become eligible for FSM from 1 April 2025 will have their eligibility checked regularly. 

• Children who are already receiving FSM before this date will continue to get them until they finish their current phase of education. After that, their eligibility will be reassessed. 

Who Will This Affect? 

• Children moving from Year 6 to Year 7 and from Year 11 to Year 12 (in a school sixth form) in September 2025 will have their eligibility checked regularly to confirm they still qualify for FSM.