Changes to free school meal eligibility…

Yes it did last until the end of education on whatever stage you were at on March 31st 2025. So for anyone currently year 7 or above it is all of their education since qualifying.

The drop to £7400 occurred several years ago under a conservative government.

Carers, parents of children age under three and those with LCW or LCWRA, or those with no minumum income floor for the first 12 months of a business.

you need to read further. What is actually said was “and until the end of that current phase of education on March 31st 2025

Can anyone shed any light on how anyone now qualifies for FSM’s when you can’t earn above £7400 yet you can’t claim universal credit if you earn that little (unless for a very short amount of time whilst actively looking and proving you are looking for work). It seems impossible to do tbh.

I think this is a good idea. I had 3 months when my son was in reception I was unemployed so eligible, they are still eligible and I earn 5 times the threshold. Our school makes all trips free to PP. They won't even let me voluntarily pay for them.

Ah, I wondered as we're still waiting to find out what's happening - not entirely sure how the current government can be criticised for something they haven't confirmed one way or another yet.

Hopefully, they'll extend it another year because it has so much effect upon children and schools in terms of PP funding, but who knows? That VAT on school fees would come in handy for keeping it going though.

Im just going off what it says in the ops post regarding new changes

Could you provide a link to show this, please? The Statutory Guidance hasn't been updated yet.

I imagine a lot of replies on MN of people who were eligible for FSM are not your stereotypical long-term low income households but single mothers whose marriages/LTRs ended while they had young children so they decided to retrain (short-term low income for long-term career prospects).

It is annually reassessing people who are claiming free school meals

If they still qualify they will still get it

If circumstances have changed and they have gone from unemployed to now earning 50k a year it means they won't be entitled to free school meals until the end of the child's current school period like currently.

People's circumstances can change- it makes sense for an annual check rather than just saying- you were earning under the limit in 2020 so we will assume you still are until 2027

But when it was £16k you couldn't be claiming working tax credits. So to qualify I think you either had to not be working at all, or somehow not need to top up a low income

And after April it's going to change to being reassessed every year not just the end of the current stage of education. Currently it lasts until the end of the stage of education never the entirety of schooling

Neverdropyourmooncup explains it better than me.
But that poster trying to say it lasted for the entire school time of a child was wrong. My child started school years ago and I was told the fsm last until the end of primary.

Yep and it's still a Tory policy now being adopted by Labour.

Shocking that Labour supporters condone it really. Although many don't. In our area most of the Labour led council has resigned their Labour party membership in the last week or so.

This will have a negative impact on children. No matter the spin that Labour & their supporters are now trying to put on it.

I didn't vote Labour in the last election because of the 'woman' issue. The 'cost saving measures' that they have introduced (including this one) impact women more than men.

Disgraceful.

No, it doesn't. The pre election (and previous years) updates were made so that the transitional protection carried on for another year - which then followed with 'and until the end of that current phase of education'.

of course eligibility should be rechecked.

It was a Tory Policy from the outset - one that they kept kicking into the long grass for political purposes.

@Scrubberdubber secondary school kids who got it in primary were not retested when moving up in the last few years.

Sorry not true. My child gets fsm and I've always been told it will end when they finish primary.

Its never lasted for the entire school time

Sorry not true. My child gets fsm and I've always been told it will end when they finish primary.

Its never lasted for the entire school time

I thought it was only the evil tories that took food off kids.

Thatcher thatcher milk snatcher anyone?

This Labour Government does not follow Labour core values.

No it doesn’t , currently it last until the end of your schooling . It is only after April that will change to end if current stage of education.

Basically the government messed up they awarded everyone on UC FSM rather than basing it on income when it was first introduced. They then tried to remove it , there was a legal challenge so they had to give FSM to anyone eligible until the end of the UC rollout . That applied whether they were in legacy benefits or UC. It was never meant to happen they were just lazy with the initial legislation.

It lasts until the end of school currently so year 11 or 13.After April 1st it will only last until the end of primary if you are currently in year six or below and you are not eligible when re assessed for year 7.