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
If your family is able to work, your annual household income must be:
- £22,700 or less if you have one child
- £26,300 or less if you have two or more children
You must also have no more than £16,000 in savings or capital.
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.