Free School Meal Eligibility Changes under Universal Credit
The eligibility criteria for Free School Meals has changed. All children on Free School Meals as of 1st April 2018 will continue to be eligible for Free School Meals until the end of the Universal Credit roll-out period (March 2022), even if your financial circumstances change. Once Universal Credit has been completely rolled out, they will continue to receive Free School Meals until the end of the phase of their education (primary or secondary) that they are in as of the end of the roll-out period. This is called transitional protection.
Not currently receiving Free School Meals for all/any of your children?
If you have a child not currently on Free School Meals who you think may be eligible please contact the school or use the following link to make an online claim https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims/. This application will be checked by the national Eligibility Checking System (ECS) which will confirm whether or not your children will be eligible for Free School Meals within 42 days. When completing an application please remember to enter an e-mail address or telephone number so that any queries can be sent to you quickly.
Free School Meals eligibility starts from the date that you and the school are notified by the ECS. Until that time you will need to provide your child(ren) with a packed lunch or put funds on your child’s(rens) catering account. If eligibility is back-dated then a refund will be made if applicable.
Due to the transitional protection, younger children starting school after 1 April 2018 will not automatically qualify for Free School Meals just because their older siblings are receiving Free School Meals. A new application will need to be made for any children not currently on Free School Meals. More than one child can be included in each application.