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Thousands more children will get free school meals instead of missing out on the support. Families who fall under Devon County Council and Torbay Council regions previously had to apply for free school meals - but now, the extra help will be awarded to eligible children automatically. This means about 1,300 pupils who were entitled to free school meals, but were not receiving them previously, will now get this help going forward. Cornwall Council is also set to introduce automatic enrolment for free school meals from September 2026 for another 1,800 children. Whether your child is entitled to free school meals depends on what part of the UK you live in, their age, and your household claims benefits. Children in England get free school meals if they are in reception class, year 1 or year 2. After that, they are eligible only if you claim certain benefits, including Universal Credit . If you are claiming Universal Credit then you must earn below £7,400 a year, after tax and not including benefits, to qualify for free school meals. But this rule is set to be dropped from the 2026/27 academic year, and from this point onwards, every child whose family is claiming Universal Credit will get free school meals regardless of their household income. The Department for Education will provide further guidance before September 2026. If your child goes to primary school in London, they will get free school meals up to the age of 11. In Scotland , children from primary one to primary five get free school meals. If you’re in Wales, all primary school pupils get free school meals. In Northern Ireland, free school meals are not given automatically - instead all parents claiming benefits have to apply. If your child goes to private school, you don't normally receive free school meals. If your child doesn't get free school meals automatically under the criteria we've mentioned above, you may be able to apply for if you claim certain benefits up until they turn age 18. You normally need to be claiming at least one of the following benefits: If you claim free school meals, you may be entitled to other help such as grants toward the cost of school uniform and school trips.
