Changes to free school meal eligibility…

[AlwaysCoffee25]

”As of April 1st, 2025, the "transitional protection" for free school meals, which allowed continued eligibility even if income increased, will end. New applicants after this date, earning above £7,400 net per annum, will no longer be eligible”

I don’t see the big deal, if you need to reapply you can.

Whilst I think in an ideal world all children should free school meals the reality is we can’t sustain every concession as a county and stopping continued eligibility if your financial circumstances change seems sensible to me 🧐

Although it seems odd timing with free breakfast being introduced (it hasn’t reached my DC’s school) the cynic in me thinks it’s because they know the take up on breakfast will be significantly lower than lunches.

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

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

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).

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fdad5965ca2f00117da947/Free_school_meals.pdf

Change happens April 2025

You need to read further what it actually says was “and until the end of that current phase of education on March 31st 2025

For those that are not understanding FSM did not end when transitioning to secondary this is from gov.uk

Transitional protections continue to apply. The protection means that all students already receiving free meals on or after 1 April 2018 continue to be eligible to receive free meals up until March 2025 and then until the end of their phase of education. This also applies to students who were eligible for free school meals (FSM) before moving into further education provision.

@Scrubberdubber i’ve just informed my friend that she must be lying about it as some woman on the internet says so, thanks for clarifying - she’s over the moon that the top ups her secondary age kids are, and have been getting the entire time she’s been qualified don’t actually exist 👍

🤣 all that time people must have thought she had a wild imagination.

Thank you. That’s what I mean - people with children under 3 can be disregarded for free school meals, which leaves carers, people with limited capability for work/disabilities and people in their 1st 12 months of self employment/setting up a business. Their must be thousands of people that somehow claim them who currently don’t fall into these categories, probably from the old tax credits system and thousands of people that earn just enough to claim universal credit but that means they have to be above the threshold to claim FSM so can’t (but probably do need them as they still earn very little). Very few people on low incomes can now get eligibility.

Yes, for a new claimant that needs to earn the AET they cannot also be eligible for FSM ( or from next month free prescriptions/dental) the threshold is far to low.

A few have question the logic behind universal FSMs
Part of it is to help picky kids. They sort of hope that if Bob eating veggies then it might encourage Sam to eat some too.

Some parents are also not very good at putting together a balanced packed lunch too many sugary things.

I also wonder if they are also trying to support young allergy kids, by discouraging pack lunches and the potential for kids swapping food around.

That's last year's guidance from just before the announcement of a general election.

We need the 2025 guidance when that's released.

I implemented it. I know what it says.

“Thatcher Thatcher milk snatcher” rather pales in comparison to this doesn’t it.

Starmer Starmer child starver?
Reeves Reeves ??????

Feed the bairns you arseholes.

They haven't released the new guidance to show one way or the other yet. The OP is posting about the 2024 guidance published by the conservative government.

It says it will change March 2025