How Parent can apply for Online Free School Meals

Free School Meals Information for SJP Website 1-Oct-26 

The Government have made some changes to Free School Meals: 

From the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, all children from households in receipt of  Universal Credit attending these schools will be entitled to receive a free meal. 

DfE have made this a legal requirement through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act  2026 and intend to lay additional regulations extending this duty to maintained nursery  schools. 

Going forward, there will be 2 categories of benefits-based free school meals: 

∙ Targeted Free School Meals, which continues to be based on the existing  threshold, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit with  annual household earnings of £7,400 or less 

∙ Expanded Free School Meals, a new category covering pupils who do not qualify  for targeted FSM, but who are in households receiving Universal Credit 

Ending transitional protections 

Transitional protections for free school meals have been in effect since 1 April 2018. This  has meant that pupils becoming eligible for free meals under the benefits-based criteria have  retained their entitlement, even if their household circumstances have changed. Transitional protections applied until the end of the 2025 to 2026 academic year. From the  start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year, transitional protections for free school meals will  end.  

Households must meet the FSM eligibility criteria from the start of the 2026 to 2027  academic year to continue receiving provision. 

The DfE guidance for schools can be found here. 

The differences with children at primary school may be if they are entitled to a different type  of Free School Meal, if they are infants, or under the Early Years programme. Children in  Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to be entitled to free meals, regardless of the  earnings or benefit status of their households. This support is made available under the  Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) programme. 

If your child was in receipt of Free School Meals during 2025-26 school year: It is a new requirement that you apply again (after 1-Jun-26) to confirm your child’s eligibility  for the 2026-27 academic year. See below for the online link. 

If your child was not in receipt of Free School Meals: 

The criteria for becoming eligible for Free School Meals has widened, if your household is in  receipt of Universal Credit, it is advised that you apply. 

Who is eligible for benefits based free school meals? 

From the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, the DfE are expanding Free School Meal  eligibility to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of  household earnings. Free school meals are available to pupils whose parents/carers are in  receipt of one or more of the following benefits: 

Universal Credit

or 

Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 

Households may also be entitled to a meal if they: 

Are in receipt of income-related Employment and Support Allowance 

or 

Receive the guarantee element of Pension Credit 

Or 

Meet criteria set out for families with no recourse to public funds 

A claim needs to be made by a parent/carer, or information provided to the school to apply  on their behalf. The eligibility will be verified by the online application through Wirral Local  Authority. 

Applying for Free School Meals ensures that your child receives the essential support they  need during their time at school. To begin the application process, please visit the link below.  If you have any questions or need assistance with the application, feel free to contact the  school office. 

You may be accepted by Wirral Local Authority for your child to receive free school  meals. 

How Parent can apply online for Free School Meals – apply on this website: https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims-wirral 

Information needed to apply: 

1. Parent/Carer full name and date of birth 
2. Parent/Carer contact details 
3. Parent/Carer National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seekers Number 4. Child’s full First Name and Legal Surname and Date of Birth 
4. School your child is attending/will attend 

Results 

Make a note of your reference number. (Apply once, if not successful, the system will  automatically keep checking for any changes to benefits which may make it successful. If your child is confirmed for eligibility to receive Free School Meals, we will inform you via  email to confirm that we have added this to our records. 

If you wish us to help you apply for this, please email the  

schooloffice@stjohnplessington.com with the information required in the list above so that  we can apply on your behalf.