Children who live in households with no recourse to public funds can receive free school meals.
Those eligible to free school meals includes (but is not limited to) children of:
- Zambrano carers
- 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
- Chen carers
- families holding a BN(O) passport
- spousal visa holders
- work visa holders
- student visa holders
- those with no immigration status
There are two types of free school meal eligibility for families with NRPF:
Targeted Free School Meals
Children who qualify under the targeted free school meals income thresholds will receive free school meals and their school may receive additional funding. Eligible children may also qualify for other support, including:
- Pupil Premium and other disadvantage funding for their school.
- The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
- The extended rights element of school travel assistance.
The child will be eligible for free school meals if their parents or carers total annual household income is less than:
- £28,500 for families with one child.
- £29,400 for families with two or more children.
Expanded Free School Meals
Expanded free school meals are available to children who do not qualify under the targeted thresholds but whose household income falls within the higher expanded income limits.
Children eligible under the expanded thresholds will receive free school meals only. They will not qualify for the additional benefits linked to targeted free school meals.
The child will be eligible for free school meals if their parents or carers total annual household income is less than:
- £29,400 for families with one child.
- £37,300 for families with two or more children.
Important Information
- Household income is based on your annual net household income.
- A child can only qualify under one category, either targeted or expanded free school meals.
- As well as meeting one of the above income thresholds, the child’s parents or carers must hold no more than £16,000 in capital and savings.
If your household has No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), you cannot apply for Free School Meals using the application form on our website.
To apply, please contact your child's school directly or visit the school's website. The school will be able to explain how to make an application and what information you need to provide.