This document explains how children who are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) can access food and support. The guidance is based on advice from the Department for Education and relevant legislation, including the Education Act 1996, the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Children and Families Act 2014.
Free school meals help ensure that children receive a healthy, nutritious meal each school day, supporting their wellbeing and readiness to learn.
Your child may be eligible for free school meals if you receive one or more of the following benefits:
Universal Credit (with annual net earned income of no more than £7,400)
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
The Guarantee element of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (without Working Tax Credit and with annual gross income no more than £16,190)
Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Universal Credit Income Threshold
If you receive Universal Credit, your annual net earned income must be £7,400 or less (not including benefits). This is assessed using up to three recent monthly assessment periods.
If you are self-employed, you will need to provide:
Your Universal Credit award letter
Evidence of self-employment (for example, tax return or company registration)
Evidence that your earnings are below the threshold
Since 1 April 2018, children who became eligible for FSM have been protected under “transitional protections.”
This means:
If your child became eligible between April 2018 and the end of the 2025/26 school year, they will continue receiving free meals, even if your income rises above the threshold.
Schools do not need to recheck eligibility during this protection period.
From September 2026 (2026/27 school year):
All children in households receiving Universal Credit will be eligible.
Transitional protections will end.
Eligibility will need to be reviewed annually.
Further guidance will be issued before September 2026.
You can:
Apply online via Brighton & Hove City Council:
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/free-school-meals
Email: freeschoolmeals@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Call: 01273 293497
If you are unsure whether you qualify, you can use the Free School Meals Checker on the council website or contact the team for advice.
You may be asked to provide:
A Universal Credit award statement
A Tax Credit award notice
A letter from Jobcentre Plus or the Home Office
Pension Credit award notice (if applicable)
If the online check does not confirm eligibility, the council can complete a manual check using paper evidence.
The current Free School Meal allowance is £2.30 per day.
Even if your child prefers a packed lunch, you should still apply if eligible because:
The school receives additional government funding (Pupil Premium).
Your child may qualify for additional financial support, activities or resources.
Registration helps the school plan support effectively.
You only need to apply once. Eligibility will be reviewed annually (from 2026/27 onwards).
In the rare circumstance where a child may not be in school but at one of our approved alternative provision providers, please contact the school so we can agree appropriate arrangements for those days.
In these circumstances it is important that we have as much notice as possible to be able to plan and agree what might be viable within our setting
Families may:
Arrange to collect a packed lunch from the school reception.
We make reasonable adjustments to ensure children with disabilities can access meals.
If your child:
Has autism or sensory needs
Has ARFID or a restricted diet
Has allergies or medical dietary requirements
Please speak to us. We will work with you to agree suitable arrangements, which may include adapted meals.
For further information or support:
Visit: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/free-school-meals
Email: freeschoolmeals@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Call: 01273 293497
You are also welcome to speak to the school reception team if you need help completing an application or arranging meal collection.
We encourage all eligible families to apply. Free school meals ensure children are well supported, well nourished, and ready to learn.
The DfE have permanently extended free school meal eligibility to children in all households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to maximum income thresholds. No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) applies to a person who is 'subject to immigration control' in the UK and has no entitlement to welfare benefits or public housing. If you believe you are eligible please complete the application form linked below and send it to school@varndean.co.uk
The Pupil Premium is additional funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities and to close the gaps between them and their peers. Secondary schools receive £1035 for each eligible student.
Each school must publish a strategy for the school’s use of the Pupil Premium.
For the current academic year, schools must include:
For the previous academic year, we must include:
Numerous studies have found that the most effective use of the Pupil Premium is to ensure consistently great teaching, every lesson, every day. We strongly believe that if we have an expertly trained teaching staff, who are leaders of their own subjects, reflective and engaged in research about what makes the most difference to all student outcomes and staff are well-resourced, supported and held to account, then all students will do well.
The tiered approach taken by Varndean is recommended in the EEF Guide to Pupil Premium (2021) which suggests the following prioritisation of Pupil Premium funding:
Tier 1: Quality First Teaching
To facilitate excellent, inclusive classroom teaching. Spending on improving teaching might include professional development, training, support and recruitment and retention. Ensuring an effective teacher is in front of every class, and that every teacher is supported to keep improving the inclusivity of their teaching, is the key ingredient of a successful school and should rightly be the top priority for Pupil Premium spending.
Tier 2: Targeted Academic Support
Evidence consistently shows the positive impact that targeted academic support can have, including on those who are not making good progress across the spectrum of achievement. Considering how classroom teachers and support staff can provide targeted academic support, including how to link structured one-to-one or small group support to classroom teaching, is a key component of our Pupil Premium strategy.
Tier 3: Wider strategies
Wider strategies relate to the most significant non-academic barriers to success in school, including attendance, behaviour and social and emotional support. We place high priority on students having access to digital devices, resources and revision guides to enable all students to access school work/prep at home, placing no student at a disadvantage. Bespoke support for families is available as a contingency fund should families need this to remove barriers to learning for their child.
A copy of the latest Pupil Premium statement can be found on our Policies page.
