Free school meals

Free school meals are available to all primary and secondary school children if their parents or guardian receive one of the following benefits:

  • Employment and Support Allowance (income based)
  • Income Support
  • Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
  • Child Tax Credit (with annual taxable income not exceeding £16,190).
  • Pension Credit (Guarantee)
  • Help under Immigration and Asylum Seekers Act 1999 (No Recourse to Public Funds)
  • Universal Credit provided your household has an annualised net earned income of no more than £7,400

Families in receipt of Working Tax Credit are not eligible even if their annual taxable income is less than £16,190.


Free School Meals Transitional Protection – Change to rules

  • Welsh Government’s Transitional Protection for Free School Meals policy ended on 31 December 2023.
  • It is important to note that whilst the policy has ended, the protections have not, and as such, there should be no immediate loss of protections for all children.
  • New Rules - Transitional Protection (TP) will end when the child comes to the end of their education phase i.e. primary and secondary education. 

Primary to Secondary

  • If a child is in Primary Education and in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM) based on family circumstances prior to 31 December – they will have been adjudicated as being Transitionally Protected, thus they will continue to receive FSM until they move to Secondary Education.
  • When the child moves to Secondary Education, a new check will be made to see if the child remains entitled based on the family income or by TP only.
  • If they continue to be eligible based on family income, FSM continues but the child will no longer be classified as TP.
  • If the child does not qualify based on the family income, then entitlement will end at this point.


How to apply

If you receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction from Cyngor Gwynedd, you will not have to complete an application form for free school meals, we will assess your right automatically.

If you do not receive Housing Benefit of Council Tax Reduction from Cyngor Gwynedd, and are of the opinion that your family is entitled to free school meals, you can download the application form below.

Application from: Free school meals

 

  • If you receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction from Cyngor Gwynedd, you will not have to complete an application form at specific times, we will review your right automatically.
  • If you do not receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction from Cyngor Gwynedd, you will need to make an application every year. The Benefit office will send you a form when you need to make a new application. You only need to complete one form for all your children, even if they attend different schools.

Your child must attend a school in Gwynedd to claim free school meals from Cyngor Gwynedd. If your child attends school in any other county you must make an application to that Council for free school meals.

If your child / children move to a different school during the school year, you will need to contact the Council’s Benefits office so that they can inform the new school that your child / children receive free school meals.
 

It is your responsibility to notify the Council’s Benefits office of any changes in your financial / family circumstances. If you do not do this Cyngor Gwynedd can ask you to pay for free meals that your children have already received.

You can tell us about any change of circumstances on-line. 


If your child is currently in receipt of Free School Meals, you may also be entitled to additional help through the School Essentials Grant. 

 

Universal Free School Meals

Universal Free School Meals will be rolled out to all primary learners in Wales over the next three years. 

If you have a child starting Reception or Year 1, and you do not want your child to receive a meal in school at lunchtimes, you should inform the school as soon as possible so that our school kitchens know how many meals to prepare. 

The Universal Free School Meals policy is part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, which will see free school meals extended to all primary school learners over the next three years.

Contacting the Benefits office