Apply for free school meals

Changes from September 2026  

Important 

If you have already applied for meals with Newcastle City Council, you do not need to apply again. We will contact you over the summer holidays with more information. 

What’s changing?

Since 2018, pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) have been protected by a temporary arrangement called transitional protection while Universal Credit was being introduced.

In 2025, the government announced changes to free school meals from September 2026. As part of these changes, transitional protection will end. This means the parents for all children who currently receive free school meals will need to be checked again against the new eligibility rules. 

The government has also introduced two new free school meal categories:

• Targeted meals
• Expanded meals

Targeted meals

Who can get targeted meals?
Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Universal Credit, with a household income of £7,400 a year or less (after tax and not including benefits) 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.

Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

• younger than the compulsory age for starting school
• in full-time education

Additional support available with targeted meals

If your child qualifies for targeted meals, they will also be able to access:

• HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programmes 
• Extended rights in the free home to school travel policy 
• Additional funding for their school through Pupil Premium funding

Expanded meals

Who can get expanded meals?

Your child may be able to get free school meals if your family receives any amount of Universal Credit, regardless of your household income.

Additional support available with expanded meals

If your child qualifies for expanded meals:

• they will receive free school meals
• they will not be eligible for HAF programmes
• they will not be entitled to extended rights under the free home to school travel policy

However, if your child was receiving free school meals before 31 March 2025 and was previously given a home to school travel pass, they will still be eligible unless your circumstances change.

Universal Infant Free School Meals

These are available for all children in Reception to the end of Year 2. You do not need to apply to receive these meals. If you don’t apply, your school will not receive any additional funding, even if your child is eligible for targeted meals.

How do I apply for free school meals?

Newcastle City Council has an Apply Once process for free school meals.
If your child goes to a school in Newcastle, you only need to apply once during their time at school if they attend a school which buys our service.

If your application is not successful, we will keep checking your details every week unless you ask us to stop. If we find that you start getting a qualifying benefit, we will:

• approve your child's free school meals application
• contact you to let you know

You do not need to apply again if your child moves to another school in Newcastle.

If you apply more than once, you will not receive multiple replies.

If your child attends Westgate Hill Primary Academy or Waverley Primary School, you need to apply to the school, not to Newcastle City Council.

You can apply online on the Citizen’s Portal – if you have applied for a school place online, you will already have an account. 

If you cannot apply online, contact your child’s school or the School Admissions Team for a paper form via email

• School admissions team email

Other people who might be eligible for free school meals 

Families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
Families who may be eligible include (but are not limited to):

• Zambrano carers
• Have the right to remain in the UK under Article 8 of the ECHR
• Receiving support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 AND are subject to a NRPF condition
• Chen carers
• Families holding a BNO passport
• Spousal visa holders
• Work visa holders
• Student visa holders
• Those with no immigration status

To be eligible for free school meals, your family’s annual household income must be no higher than the following:

• £22,700 for families outside of London with one child
• £26,300 for families outside of London with two or more children

This includes any wider income or support you may be receiving in addition to any earnings from employment.

You must also have less than £16,000 in savings, including any shares, investments and bank accounts, but not including your home.

If you think you fall into one of these groups please complete the application form below (you will need to upload evidence).

• application form 

Or email our admissions team

Processing timescales 

We will write with the outcome of your application within 20 school days if you apply using a paper application form. 

If you apply through the online portal, you will receive an immediate response to your application. 

What if you think the outcome is wrong?

If your application result is not eligible, but you receive a qualifying benefit, contact the School Admissions Team. You will need to provide evidence of the benefit. 

How we will keep and use your personal details

We will keep your personal details on our secure computer system and use them to check if your child should get free school meals. They may also be used if you apply for free school travel.

We won’t share your personal details with anyone else. We will let your child’s school know the outcome of your free school meal application.

You can ask for your details to be changed or deleted. This may mean your child stops getting free school meals. We will need to check any new details you give us.
We will keep your details in line with our retention policy. If you have any questions, contact us.

Schools which are not part of Newcastle City Council’s service

You must apply for free school meals through the local authority that the school is based in, e.g. if living in Newcastle but your child goes to a Northumberland School you need to make your free school meal application through Northumberland. 

If your child goes to college, you will need to speak to the college directly about how to apply for free school meals.

If your child attends a non-government funded school, e.g. a private school, you will not be eligible for free school meals

Westgate Hill Primary Academy and Waverley Primary School administer their own free school meal claims.