Free school meals

Getting started

We only process applications for schools that are part of the Free School Meals service.

All schools in Somerset are subscribed, except King Arthur’s School, Wincanton, and The Mendip School, Prestleigh, Shepton Mallet. If your child goes to one of these schools, please contact the school directly to apply for free school meals.

We strongly recommend that you read the rest of this page before you apply.

Eligibility

Children eligible for free school meals must be in school all day. They will be provided with a meal at lunchtime which is paid for by the school.

Parents or carers are responsible for registering their entitlement and requesting free school meals for their children.

Children in pre-school or nursery (known as childcare providers) do not qualify for a free meal until they are on roll at a school. This could include a school nursery but you would need to speak to the school about this. All applications received will be processed so that when your child does start school, you will already know whether they qualify for a free school meal or not.
Parents and carers who receive any of the following are entitled to free school meals:

• Universal Credit
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit.

Only the benefits listed above qualify for free school meals.

A pupil is only eligible for a free school meal where their eligibility has been verified by the local authority/school. Eligibility will not be backdated, so it is very important to apply as soon as possible.

Eligibility to Free School Meals is split between 2 categories:

Targeted Free School Meals

Children from households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less (the existing threshold for free school meals prior to the expansion), will be eligible for targeted FSM. In addition to receiving free meals, pupils eligible for targeted FSM will attract pupil premium and other disadvantage funding for their schools.

Other education entitlements that have previously been linked to eligibility for free school meals, such as Holiday Activities and the ‘extended rights’ element of school travel assistance, will also continue to be based on targeted free school meals.

Expanded FSM

Children from households in receipt of Universal Credit, with annual household earnings exceeding £7,400 will be entitled to expanded free school meals only.

Apply for free school meals

If you meet the eligibility criteria listed above, please complete the application using the Citizen Portal link below.

If you do not already have an account on the Citizen Portal you will need to create one. Most parents will already have an account as this is where you apply for a school place in Somerset.

If you apply via the Citizen Portal, this is where you will receive your outcome. It is the quickest way to receive your outcome.

You do not need to send evidence with your application. If we need evidence later, we will ask you for it.

If you are unable to complete the application via the Citizen Portal, you can print a copy of the Application form for free school meals 141KB PDF, fill it in and take the completed form to your child’s school, email it to fsm@somerset.gov.uk or send it to Entitlements Team, County Hall, Taunton, TA1 4DY.

Other eligibility criteria

Children of families who don’t receive these benefits may also qualify for free school meals if the family’s annual household income is:

• no more than £22,700 for families outside of London with one child
• no more than £26,300 for families outside of London with two or more children.

Also, families must hold no more than £16,000 in capital and savings.

And the parent or carer meets any of these criteria:

• you are a Zambrano or Chen carer
• families who have no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
• families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
• a subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• you hold a British National (Overseas) – BN(O) – passport
• you are a spousal visa, work visa or student visa holder
• you have no immigration status.

If this applies to you, please complete the Free School Meals to Families with No Recourse to Public Funds form (PDF) and return it with the appropriate evidence to fsm@somerset.gov.uk.

What happens next

We will check your application and let you know the outcome, usually within 10 working days. If you are eligible, we will tell you how to start receiving free school meals.

If your child is entitled to a free school meal but needs a special medical diet, this can be arranged, but please speak to your school about it. It is very important that you contact us if your contact details or circumstances change.

Everyone awarded free school meals who is attending a Somerset school will be rechecked at least once per year to ensure they are still eligible. Therefore, it is very important for you to notify us if your contact details change.

All year 11 pupils in receipt of free school meals will automatically have their free school meals entitlement ended at the end of the school year. If they go on into a school-based sixth form, you will need to reapply before they start in the sixth form. If they go onto a Further Education  college, you will need to apply directly to the Further Education college.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Universal Infant Free School Meals

Every child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 is entitled to a Universal Infant Free School Meal. Each school is responsible for providing this, and they may ask you to fill in an application form to show that you need a meal for your child or children. Please contact your school to discuss arranging a meal.