Changes to Free School Meals from September 2026

We want to make families aware of some upcoming changes to Free School Meals (FSM), which may affect pupils from 1 September 2026.

What is changing?

On 8 May 2026, the Department for Education announced changes to how Free School Meals eligibility will work in future, linked to Universal Credit.

These changes will affect:

• Families who currently receive free school meals

• Families who may be eligible but are not currently claiming

Important change to current protections

Since April 2018, once a child became eligible for FSM, they have continued to receive them even if their family’s circumstances changed.

This protection will end at the end of the 2025–26 school year.

Checking eligibility (June to August 2026)

Sheffield City Council will be checking free school meal eligibility for all pupils between:

1 June and 31 August 2026

This applies to:

• Pupils who currently receive FSM

• Families who wish to apply for FSM for the first time

What families need to know

• If a child is confirmed as eligible at the start of the academic year, they will receive free school meals for the whole of the 2026–27 school year, even if circumstances change.

• From 2026 onwards, eligibility will normally be checked every year.