Free School Meal (FSM) Changes for the 2026/27 Academic Year (FSM children only)
Dear Parents/Carers
Free School Meal (FSM) Changes for the 2026/27 Academic Year
Transitional protections for free school meals have been in effect since 1 April 2018. This has meant that pupils eligible for free meals under the benefits-based criteria have retained their entitlement, even if their household circumstances have changed.
The transitional protections for free school meals will end on 31 August 2026 for all households.
This means anyone currently receiving free school meals will need to have an eligibility check to determine if they will still be eligible from September 2026.
Expanded Eligibility Criteria from September 2026
From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, the Government is expanding FSM eligibility to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of household earnings.
From September 2026, there will be two categories of benefit related free school meals:
Expanded FSM – all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of income will be entitled to free school meals only.
Targeted FSM – children from households in receipt of Universal Credit with annual earnings of £7,400 or less will be entitled to Targeted FSM. These children will attract pupil premium and other disadvantage funding for schools and will be eligible for additional entitlements, such as the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, financial support towards school trips, KS2 music lessons, uniform and milk.
What do these changes mean for me?
The local authority needs to verify if you will still qualify for free school meals from September 2026 by checking if you meet the eligibility criteria set out above (either targeted or expanded).
This check will be completed automatically during the summer break for all households who originally applied for FSMs via the North Somerset Citizens Portal (within the last 2 years). Once the check has been completed you will see the result within your Citizen’s account.
IMPORTANT – if you did not complete your original application via the North Somerset Citizens Portal you will need to make a new application to enable your eligibility to be checked. If you do not reapply your entitlement will end on 31st August. We are sending a separate letter to all families who will need to reapply, with instructions on how and when to do this.
Once the local Authority have completed the checks they will provide the school with details of all children who are eligible for FSMs in September and the relevant category.
New Applications
If, as a result of the expanded eligibility criteria, you would like to apply for FSMs for any siblings who did not previously qualify, you should do this via the North Somerset Citizen’s portal during the summer holidays.
You can make a new application or register for a Citizen’s account via the North Somerset website – www.n-somerset.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals
Annual Rechecks
Going forward, the Local Authority will recheck your eligibility every year to confirm if you continue to meet the eligibility criteria set out above (either targeted or expanded). The annual rechecks will be completed automatically and you will be able to see the result within your Citizen’s account.
If you have any questions or issues with any of the above, please contact the school office at office@uva.clf.uk before the end of term.
Kind Regards
Uphill Village Academy
