Pupil Premium
Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
There is a difference between the levels of funding provided for schools.
Universal Infant Free School Meals were introduced by the government in 2014 to give all children, regardless of their economic background, a meal at school at lunchtime. It was a great idea to give all children a hot meal at school helping many families by saving them dinner money or money buying food to make packed lunches. It was for everyone – no application needed! This does not automatically mean that you are entitled to Free School Meals.
Free School Meals have been around for much longer than this. They were introduced many years ago to help low income families. Parents had to apply for this benefit. There is an eligibility criteria for this. It is means tested.
More recently, the government linked this means tested benefit, to providing additional money to support children in school. This is called Pupil Premium. The school get additional pupil premium money into their budget based on the numbers of pupils eligible to free school meals. This is to improve the education and support for children at the school.
From September 2026, eligibility for free school meals is changing. The government have created a website page to inform families about eligibility and how to apply.
Free school meals
If you live in England and are claiming Universal Credit then you qualify for free school meals. This page tells you about the changes to free school meal this Autumn and also about help for pre-school-age children — covered in .
Free school meals in England from September 2026
In England, children in reception, year 1 or year 2 at a state school are entitled to free school meals regardless of household income. In London universal free school meals cover all primary pupils.
From September 2026, there are two types of free school meals eligibility for children in year 3 and above in England, both based on Universal Credit:
Targeted free school meals
Your child qualifies for targeted free school meals if your household receives Universal Credit and your annual earnings are £7,400 or less. It is measured through looking at your earnings in your last monthly assessment period, which must be under £617 per month (you can average over 3 months if your earnings vary).
As well as free school meals, targeted eligibility also qualifies your child for a range of other entitlements, including:
- Holiday activities and food provision (where delivered by your local authority)
- School clothing and uniform grants. Local authorities set their own rules and amounts, but typically they provide a grant of around £100 a year to help with the cost of buying a school uniform and eligibility is normally the same as for targeted free school meals
- School travel assistance
- Other discretionary support such as school trip subsidies, music tuition fee remission, and period products
Eligibility for these linked entitlements continues to be based on the £7,400 earnings threshold even after the expansion — the expanded rules described below do not qualify a child for these additional entitlements.
Expanded free school meals
Your child qualifies for expanded free school meals if your household receives Universal Credit but your earnings are above the £7,400 threshold that applies to targeted free school meals. This extends free school meals to children in Universal Credit households who would otherwise miss out because they earn too much to qualify under the targeted rules.
Expanded eligibility covers free school meals only — it does not qualify your child for the additional linked entitlements listed above.
Annual eligibility check
From the 2026/27 school year, eligibility for free school meals will be checked every year, ahead of the October school census. The check result is valid for the full academic year.
You can apply from 1st June 2026 for the start of the autumn term. If your household becomes eligible for Universal Credit during the school year, you should claim at that point and will remain eligible for the remainder of the year.
How do I claim?
Free school meals are administered by local authorities but we can help. Speak to our office team.
If you think you may now be entitled to means tested free school meals for your children, you need to apply using this link or contact school and we can apply on your behalf:
https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims-wirral
To apply you need:
- Your own name and date of birth
- Contact details. Includes e-mail. phone numbers and address details. It is helpful to have an e-mail and correct postcode.
- National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seekers Number
- Child's name and date of birth
- School your child is attending/will attend.
To apply click on:
https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims-wirral
Pupil Premium Reporting
The Pupil Premium is funding provided to schools which is additional to main school funding.
It is allocated to pupils on roll who are eligible for free school meals (FSM), children of service families, and pupils who have been ‘Looked After’ (in care) for 6 months or more. In 2012, funding was extended to include pupils who have been eligible for free school meals within the past 6 years.
It is for schools to decide how the Pupil Premium is spent, since they are best placed to assess what additional provision should be made for the individual pupils within their responsibility.
Schools will be held accountable for their use of the additional funding to support pupils from low-income families and the impact this has on educational attainment. School performance tables now include a ‘Narrowing the Gap’ measure showing how disadvantaged children perform in each school. Our governing body produces an annual report. This can be read in our statutory reports page.
Files to Download
Free School Meals and Application Guidance Updated April 2020
