Free school meals

Free school meals for infants

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can get free schools meals whether the parents receive benefits or not.

If you receive benefits it is still important that you to complete a free school meals application, even if you don’t want your child to receive a free meal.

Your child’s school will get extra government funding for every child registered as eligible for a free school meal if their parents receive benefits. This funding is to support learning and is called the ‘pupil premium’.

Mayor of London universal free school meals (UFSM) programme 2023-24

The Mayor of London is providing grant funding for the 2023/24 school year to pay for free school meals for key stage 2 pupils in all state primary schools who do not qualify for Government-funded income-related free school meals

More details about the programme can be found online

Parents and carers should still continue to apply for the Pupil Premium Grant which helps your child’s school to provide a range of extra opportunities, resources, and activities.

Information and guidance on how to apply for the grant can be found on this page

Other year groups

Children in other year groups, including in secondary schools, could be eligible for free school meals if their parents receive any of the following types of benefit:

• Universal Credit – if your annual net earned income is no more than £7,400 (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
• 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’re 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.

Young people who receive income support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance in their own right are also entitled to free school meals.

Children must go to a Brent primary school, secondary school, sixth form or nursery attached to a Brent school where they attend for a full day (sessions before and after lunch).

All children in households with no recourse to public funds are entitled to Free School Meals, subject to maximum income thresholds.
Full details on free school meals are available on the Department for Education website.

Applicants from this cohort will need to apply by completing the application form on the Department of Education website and e-mailing it to school.admissions@brent.gov.uk

You can apply for free school meals online, if you think you are eligible.

Eligibility for free school meals will not be backdated, so please make sure you apply as soon as possible. If this is your first application, you will be asked to provide proof of child benefit.

You can also apply by:

• asking your child’s school for a paper form which you can return to them, or direct to us
• requesting a paper form by calling our admissions team on 020 8937 3110 which you return to us.

Include your email address and/or your mobile number to receive updates on the progress of your application.

You should contact us straightaway if your benefits change or stop.

This is because you may no longer qualify for free school meals. You can be asked to repay the cost of any meals you were not entitled to claim.

Schools receive extra government funding for every child registered as eligible for a free school meal if their parents receive benefits.

This is can be up to £1,320 per pupil.

If your child goes to a Brent primary or secondary school, and you get benefits, it is very important that you fill in an application form for a free school meal.

Your child’s school can use this money for:

• extra tuition
• learning support assistants
• art therapy
• booster classes
• educational trips
• after school clubs