Free School Meals and Universal Infant Free School Meals

If you receive benefits including Universal Credit or have a low income, your child may be eligible for free school meals.

Changes to Free School Meals (FSM) from September 2026

FSM Protection ended for all children on 1 September 2026.

From September 2026 free school meal entitlement is now be split under two categories - Targeted and Expanded.

Solihull council have rechecked all previously eligible children over the summer and parents and schools have been notified of any changes to eligibility.

Financial support for families

A range of extra help continues to be available to families and can be found at Here2Help. 

This includes information on:

As well as several other discretionary crisis related schemes. 

Crisis and Resilience Fund

The Household Support Fund has been replaced by a new Crisis and Resilience Fund and under the rules of this new fund, all families will need to be assessed before additional help can be provided.

If you receive benefits including Universal Credit or have a low income, your child may be eligible for Free School Meals.

Apply for Free School Meals

If your child attends the following school, please contact the school directly to submit a Free School Meals application:

Free School Meals (FSM) Targeted

You may be eligible for Free School Meals, a Holiday Activities and Food Programme place and your school will receive Pupil Premium if you receive a qualifying benefit.

This could be:

  • Universal Credit - your household earned annual income must be less than £7,400 after tax and not including any benefits
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guarantee element of Pension Credit

Free School Meals (FSM) Expanded (from September 2026)

You may be eligible for a Free School Meal if you receive Universal Credit regardless of household income. If you meet this criteria you will only be entitled to a free meal, you will not be entitled to a Holiday Activities and Food Programme code and your school will not receive Pupil Premium.

What if I don’t receive one of the above benefits?

The Department for Education have now permanently extended free school meal eligibility to children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to maximum income thresholds.

These households include:

  • children of Zambrano carers
  • children of families with 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
  • children of 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

The maximum income threshold differs based on your location and the number of children that your family has.

Income thresholds

Under the permanent extension of free school meal eligibility to all NRPF groups, the annual household income thresholds for those families able to work are:

  • £22,700 for families outside of London with 1 child
  • £26,300 for families outside of London with 2 or more children

Please note your capital savings threshold cannot exceed £16,000. We will ask for evidence of your capital by requesting bank statement(s).

If you are in one of the above groups you will need to apply for Free School Meals by calling us on 0121 704 6611 to complete a self-declaration form.

Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)

All infant pupils in reception, year 1 and year 2 are eligible for Universal Infants Free School Meals.

If you receive one of the benefits listed above and your child gets Universal Infant Free School Meals you should apply online for Free School Meals. This will allow your child’s school to receive extra funding that could support your child.

You can apply as soon as your child's place at school is confirmed.

Contact us

Please note we are only able to help you with your enquiry if your child attends a Solihull School. If your child attends a School outside of Solihull you will need to contact the relevant local authority or speak to your child’s School.

If you need help or advice with your application please contact our Family Information Service.

I have no recourse to public funds - how do I prove I am eligible for free school meals?

You will need to firstly show which criteria you qualify under. These are listed below:

Article 8 of the ECHR

Families will be able to provide a letter from the Home Office granting them leave to remain in the UK or a biometric residence card.

Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Families will be able to provide a letter from the Home Office or local authority confirming Section 4 support or an ASPEN card.

BN(O) passport holders

Families will be able to show either a BN(O) passport or visa.

Spouse, work or student visa holders

Families will be able to show their visa.

Zambrano or Chen carers

In many (but not all) cases, the family will be able to show a derivative residence card. If they do not hold this, they must be able to show that:

  • the carer or parent is not a British citizen
  • the child is a British citizen
  • the carer is a direct relative or legal guardian of the child, and they have the primary responsibility for the child
  • there are no other members of the carers’ family in the UK or the EEA who could look after the child

In all cases you will need to contact the Free school meals helpline 0121 704 6611 to complete a self-declaration form and be able to provide one of the following to prove your income:

  • payslip
  • P60
  • bank statement
  • letter from their bank
  • letter from their employer
  • letter from the local authority confirming support if applicable

My application has been unsuccessful but my child attends infant school and is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2?

As your child is an infant pupil they will still qualify for Universal Infant Free School Meals because you have registered.

Your completed online registration will help the school to identify funding through pupil premium, which benefits the school. We will also occasionally re-check your details in case your claim for free meals becomes successful at a later date.

I live outside of Solihull but my child attends a Solihull School. How do I apply for Free School Meals or register for Universal Infant Free School Meals?

As your child attends a school in Solihull, you should apply to the Family Information Service for Free School Meals even though you do not reside within the Solihull Borough.

My Child Attends Nursery School. Can I apply for Free School Meals?

If your child is receiving education either side of the lunch period you may be able to claim Free School Meals when your child attends for a full day (this does not apply to Wraparound Nursery). ). You must apply for Free School Meals and meet the Free School Meals criteria.

It must be a school nursery as free meals are not available at private nurseries, however not all schools can provide meals to nursery pupils so you will need to check with your school on what they are able to offer. Universal Infant Free Meals do not begin until your child reaches Infant School (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2).

From September 2026 this will include a funded place and a privately paid for place as long as the child is on roll as a pupil at the school for both morning and afternoon sessions.  

How can I ensure that my child is provided with a healthy meal?

Menus and information about Solihull’s freshly prepared meals are available on our school meals page. Information will also be available at your child’s school.

Will I be required to provide proof of benefits when I make a claim?

When you make a claim online you will not be asked for proof of benefits. Your entitlement will be checked against our Eligibility Checking Service which is provided by the Department for Education. If for any reason you are receiving a qualifying benefit but this cannot be confirmed we may in a few cases have to ask for current paper proof of entitlement.

My child is currently getting a Free School Meal but my circumstances have changed, will my child lose their meal?

If you are currently eligible for a Free School Meal you will continue to receive a free school meal until the end of the academic year. Your eligibility will then be rechecked automatically annually and you and your child's school will be notified of any changes before the start of the new academic year. Following an annual recheck you will keep your eligibility for the current academic year even if your financial circumstances change.

I am moving from another area to Solihull and my children currently have Free School Meals, do I have to reapply in Solihull?

Yes if your children are moving to a Solihull school you will need to make a new application for free school meals.

If your circumstances have changed and you therefore receive a refused response to your application you will need to notify the Family Information Service that your children were previously receiving a free school meal out of borough this academic year. We can then verify this with your new school and ensure your children receive a Free School Meal and that their eligibility continues for the rest of the academic year.

How will I be advised of the outcome of my online application?

When your application has been processed you will be sent an email to advise you of the outcome. The school will also be advised of the result.

If you do not receive an email within 5 working days, please contact the Family Information Service (Please note when we are experiencing high volumes of applications and especially in September, all claims will be dealt with in the order they are received. It is advisable to claim early to avoid a delay. You are able to claim during school holiday periods).

Please remember to check your junk / spam email folder just in case the email has been redirected incorrectly.

Do I have the opportunity to appeal if my online application is unsuccessful?

Yes, the Family Information Service will be happy to help you with any queries you may have regarding your claim.

Do I need to reapply for Free School Meals every year or when my child moves to Secondary School?

No, you do not need to reapply as once you have made an application, Solihull council will be able to carry out regular checks on your entitlement and notify you and your child's school of any changes. 

If you have younger children starting school you will need to apply for them to have an eligibility check as they will not have been on your original application. Once they are added they will automatically be rechecked annually.

How do I know if I have successfully applied for Free School Meals?

When you have completed your application you will receive an email notifying you that your application has been received and that the Free School Meals team will respond within 5 working days. If you haven’t received the email please log back into the Parent Portal and ensure you have clicked the wording Free School Meals / Universal Infant Meals Application (green box).

Where can I get information on meal choices?

Catering for pupils in 70 primary schools across Solihull and surrounding areas, Solihull Catering Services has a wealth of experience providing nutritious, wholesome school lunches.

The website provides all the information parents and schools need all in one place, including downloadable menus, allergy information, current news, local suppliers, reviews and FAQs.
 

Can I opt out of having a free school meal?

Children who are entitled to benefits-related free school meals may also attract a grant payment to the school called pupil premium which is used to benefit the education of the children at that school and help them to reach their full potential.

Parents can opt out of having the free hot meal that is offered and provide a packed lunch for their child, keeping their entitlement on record if they wish; this would enable the school to continue to receive the pupil premium. Or parents have the option to completely opt out of having the free school meal entitlement for their child on record, by contacting us on 0121 704 6611 or by emailing edfreesm@solihull.gov.uk.

How do you use my information?

Please view our Free School Meals Privacy Notice for details of how we use your information.