Free School Meals

Dear colleagues,

I recently shared an update about changes to our Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility checking service, following the government’s plans to end the transitional protection period from 1 April 2025.

The government has since announced that, starting from the 2026/27 school year, the current earnings threshold for FSM eligibility will be removed so that all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals.

In addition, the government has published updated guidance on Free School Meals, which confirms an extension to the transitional protection period. This means that:

• All pupils who become eligible for FSM under the current benefits-based criteria will continue to receive this entitlement until the end of the 2025/26 school year, regardless of changes in household circumstances or educational phase.
• Children currently in Year 6, who were previously expected to lose their entitlement at the end of this summer term, will now continue to receive FSM until the new criteria take effect in 2026/27.

Until this announcement, local authorities and schools had not been informed of the extension to transitional protection, and we had been preparing for the original changes and updating our systems accordingly.

It’s important to note that the guidance suggests all transitionally protected claims will end when the new criteria are introduced in 2026/27. This implies that pupils who do not meet the new eligibility criteria may lose their entitlement next summer, rather than retaining it through the end of their current educational phase. We are seeking clarification from the government on this point and will share further updates as soon as we receive them.

In the meantime, we are updating our websites and preparing communications to reflect these changes.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk.