Free School Meals
In England a Free School Meal (FSM) is a statutory benefit available to school aged children from families who receive qualifying benefits and who have been through the relevant registration process.
Changes to Free School Meal Entitlement from September 2026
From 1st September 2026, there will be two categories of free school meal eligibility:
Targeted: Children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less. These pupils will attract pupil premium and other disadvantaged funding. Other entitlements, such as the holiday activities and food programme (HAF) and the ‘extended rights’ element of school travel assistance, will also be based on this category.
Expanded: Children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual earnings above £7,400. These pupils will be entitled to free school meals only and will not attract pupil premium.
We encourage all families who are not currently entitled to free school meals to apply after 1 September 2026, as they may qualify under the expanded criteria.
Please note existing FSM families will need to reapply for their entitlement to continue from September 2026.
For further information, please click on the following links:
Free school meals | Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
If your application is successful for targeted FSM, this means that the school may be able to claim additional funding known as ‘Pupil Premium’ (PPG).
Please note that although the Government has introduced free school meals for all children from Reception through to Year 6, the additional PPG funding assists the school to take on additional staff and invest in equipment and resources that benefit all children.
If you would like assistance with applying, or to talk confidentially about Free School Meals, please make an appointment to meet with a member of the Office Team.
Further Benefits
Further benefits that children may be entitled to include a funded School Club, and possible discounts on music lessons through KMAS.
This applies to lessons both in school hours and at KMAS music centres. More information can be found here.