Apply for free school meals

If your child attends a nursery, they may be eligible for free school meals if:

• they are a registered pupil at a maintained school nursery
• they receive education before and after lunch on the same day
• you receive a qualifying benefit that is listed in the eligibility criteria

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at state-funded schools get a free school meal. You do not need to apply for this, and your household income does not matter. This is called Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM).

If you receive a qualifying benefit, you should still apply for benefits-based free school meals. This may help your child’s school get extra funding to support your child.

Families with British National (Overseas) status, or families with no recourse to public funds, may be able to apply for free school meals using the NRPF free school meals application form.

Families in the following groups may apply:

• Zambrano carers
• Families with a right to remain under Article 8 ECHR
• Families supported under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989
• Failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Chen carers
• BN(O) passport holders
• Spousal, work or student visa holders
• Those with no immigration status

To qualify under the NRPF rules, household income must be below £22,700 for one child or below £26,300 for two or more children. Household savings must be below £16,000.

If your application is successful:

• you will get an immediate response on screen, and a confirmation message will be sent to your Citizens Portal account
• we will tell your child’s school that your child is eligible and when their free school meals can start

If your application is unsuccessful:

• you will get an immediate response on screen, and a confirmation message will be sent to your Citizens Portal account
• we may ask you to send proof of your household earnings
• if you are new to Universal Credit, we may need to keep checking your eligibility for up to six weeks
• if your income is not regular, we may need to assess your income over a 12-week period
• we cannot backdate free school meals

What evidence of benefits should I send with my application?

You do not need to send proof when you apply online.

 If we need evidence from you, we will ask for it.

We will check your entitlement securely via the Department for Education’s eligibility checking service.

To do this, we need your:

• legal surname
• date of birth
• National Insurance number or National Asylum Seeker Service reference number

The online check will only identify whether you are entitled to free school meals; no other information is revealed.

If the check says you are not eligible, this does not always mean your child cannot get free school meals. You may have entered some information incorrectly, or we may need to keep checking your income. This can take up to six weeks if you are new to Universal Credit, or up to 12 weeks if your income is not regular.

Please note that we cannot backdate free school meals.

If you believe that you are entitled, please contact Customer Services on 0345 606 6067 or email freeschoolmeals@suffolk.gov.uk.

What if I cannot apply online?

In exceptional circumstances, we will accept a paper application. For example, if you do not have access to the internet, have no email address or have language difficulties.

 Please call Customer Services for an application form on 0345 606 6067 or email freeschoolmeals@suffolk.gov.uk.

You can also ask your school for a paper application.

My school is not listed when I apply online. What do I do?

Suffolk County Council does not process free school meal applications for all schools in Suffolk. You'll need to contact these schools directly to apply:

• The Pines Primary School
• Coldfair Green Primary School
• Elm Tree Primary School
• Poplars Primary School
• Dell Primary School
• Abbeygate Sixth Form College
• One Sixth Form College

If your school is not listed and it is an academy, this means that they have not signed up for the service to allow us to process applications on their behalf. You will need to speak to your school or college directly to ask how to apply for free school meals.

Can I claim for more than one child on one application?

Yes, you can apply for all your children in the same application, including nursery aged children who attend a maintained nursery for a full day.

What is the difference between Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) and Free School Meals?

UIFSM are for all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at state-funded schools. You do not need to apply for this.

Benefits-based free school meals are different. If you receive a qualifying benefit, you should still apply because your child’s school may receive extra funding to support your child.

What is pupil premium funding?

Pupil premium government funding is used to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.

Schools receive this funding for pupils who are eligible for targeted free school meals.

You can read more information on pupil premium on GOV.UK.

Is my child entitled to any further support?

If your child receives targeted free school meals, you may be able to get support with school travel.

Children aged 5 to 16 who receive targeted free school meals may also be able to access the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme 2026 in Suffolk.