Free school meals can be applied for your child, if they attend any state funded school, including nursery, primary and secondary and you meet the eligibility criteria.
If eligible for Means Tested Free School Meals, your child's school will get additional funding through the Pupil Premium - up to £1300. That's extra money to spend on enrichment activities, teacher development and targeted support for the children that need it most.
This year (2024), you will be allocated food vouchers from your school to cover two weeks of the summer holidays
Please check the list of participating schools listed below. If your child’s school is not listed, you will have to contact the school directly to apply for Free School Meals.
Primary school children in state-funded schools in London will continue to get free school meals for the next academic year. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has extended the funding as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit families, so that children will receive free school meals in 2024-25.
Primary school aged children will receive a free meal automatically, but it is really important for parents on a low income, or who are in receipt of certain benefits, to apply for the Means Tested Free School Meals.
You may be eligible to receive free school meals and funding for your child’s school through the pupil premium if you receive one of the following benefits:
Free school meals has now been permanently extended to all families affected by No Recourse to Public Funds
This is subject to the following income and capital thresholds:
If you do not have the internet at home, you can go to your local library or come to the Civic Offices and use one of our free computers.
If you have recently been notified about your child’s school place (either for Primary or Secondary), please do not apply for free school meals until your child has actually started at the school, or is about to.
Applications made before starting school in September will be refused and you’ll be asked to reapply nearer the start of the autumn term.
This doesn’t apply to:
Entitlement for these children will begin on the day their free school meals application was made.
If you live in Sutton but your child attends a school that is outside of the borough, please contact the Local Authority where your child attends school.
Part-time pupils are not entitled to free school meals. It only applies to children who are receiving education before and after the lunch period.
There is no automatic entitlement to Free School Meals for looked after children, including those in care, fostered, previously looked after children and recently adopted children.
If you wish to apply please refer to the eligibility criteria listed above.
However, all of the above children would qualify for the Looked after Child Pupil Premium. Please contact your child's school if you have any queries regarding this premium.
You don’t need to re-apply once free school meals have been awarded. You’ll only need to re-apply if your child has moved schools or you have had a change in your financial circumstances.
All children and young people are entitled to a suitable education. For the vast majority of young people this will be at school - whether mainstream or special.
Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) is a form of education provision for children who are unable to attend a mainstream or special school. EOTAS can be used for children with a range of needs, including social, emotional, behavioural, and medical issues or where a placement has broken down.
The Local Authority/Cognus must agree to provide Education Otherwise than at School. Example of EOTAS provision are:
For more information about EOTAS, please contact the Inclusion Team on: Inclusion@Cognus.org.uk Tel: 020 8323 0450
The equivalent food provision for children who are receiving EOTAS under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014, is available to those who meet both of the following criteria:
From January 2025, the London Borough of Sutton will issue food vouchers to a value of £2.58 daily for children in an EOTAS setting provided that they meet the eligibility criteria.
The Council will check parent’s eligibility and check that the child is enrolled with an EOTAS provider
If your child is enrolled, you will be issued with a half-termly supermarket voucher through Wonde/Schoolsvouchers.com.
Checks will be made on a half termly basis to establish if your child is still on-roll with EOTAS provider.
The voucher value will be equal to £2.58 for each school day in that half term
Elective Home Education (EHE) is when a parent chooses not to send their child to school full-time but assumes responsibility for making sure their child receives a full-time education other than at school.
This is different to EOTAS where the Local Authority remains responsible for ensuring a suitable education.
Children who are electively home educated are not eligible for Free Schools Meals.
We accept Free School Meal applications for the following schools. If your child's school is not listed, please apply to the school directly.
This list is valid as of 17 June 2024
Help us improve our site by joining our user research panel