Free School Meals Changes from September 2026 -what schools need to know

From September 2026 important changes will take effect relating to Free Schools Meals (FSM) eligibility.

These changes will impact FSM eligibility, pupil premium identification, School Census reporting and annual eligibility checking requirements. 

What is changing?

From the start of the 2026/27 academic year, all children from households receiving Universal Credit (UC) will be entitled to Free School Meals. 

There will be two FSM categories:

Targeted FSM - Children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less will qualify for:

• Free School Meals
• Pupil Premium
• Ever 6 FSM funding
• Other benefits linked to FSM eligibility, including Home to School Transport and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. 

Expanded FSM - Children in households receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings above £7,400 will qualify for:

• Free School Meals only

These pupils will not attract Pupil Premium funding and will not form part of the Ever 6 FSM cohort.

End of Transitional Protection:

FSM transitional protection arrangements will end at the close of the 2025/26 academic year. This means families must continue to meet the relevant eligibility criteria from September 2026 to retain FSM entitlement. 

As a result, schools and local authorities must ensure FSM eligibility is rechecked annually. A new "last verified" date will form part of the school census requirements. 

Action being taken by Waltham Forest:

We will be conducting eligibility checks for all current FSM claimants and awarding FSM to all eligible children. We anticipate completing this process in time for our usual end-of-year FSM rollover in mid-August, although we aim to complete it sooner where possible.

Where possible, we will also automatically award FSM to families already known to our systems who are receiving Universal Credit and will become newly eligible under the expanded entitlement criteria.

FSM awards will apply for the full academic year regardless of any subsequent changes in household income. Where a child moves school or relocates to another local authority area, their FSM entitlement will transfer with them. We are currently updating our claim processes to support these arrangements.

What schools need to do:

By 1 September 2026:

Schools should:

• Familiarise yourself with the updated DfE guidance
• Complete operational readiness checklist to ensure all necessary systems and processes are in place
• Ensure their Management Information System (MIS) has been updated to support the new FSM categories and School Census requirements.
• Liaise with their MIS provider regarding any required training or system updates.
• Review catering capacity and estimate potential increases in meal uptake from newly eligible pupils.
• Promote FSM registration to parents and carers, including families who may become eligible for the first time under the expanded criteria.
• Communicate with parents and carers re the changes. The DfE has produced a model parent or carer communication for schools - Model parent or carer communication for schools and local authorities: free school meals changes – 2026 to 2027 academic year
• Ensure all FSM eligibility checks and rechecks have been completed before the start of the autumn term wherever possible.
• Subscribe to the Pupil Premium checking service for the 2026/27 School year. Using the LBWF service is not mandatory but allows inclusion in the LA mass eligibility check upload exercises and helps ensure FSM awards are processed before the Autumn 2026 School Census.

Important information about Pupil Premium

Please note that only children awarded Targeted FSM will be eligible for Pupil Premium funding. 

At present, our system does not distinguish between Targeted and Expanded FSM awards within the school portal. Therefore, all pupils awarded FSM will appear on the portal, including those who are not eligible for Pupil Premium.

To support schools, pupils who qualify under the Targeted FSM category will be identified in a separate report issued following completion of the award process.

We have been advised that future system enhancements are expected to allow this information to be displayed directly within the portal. Further updates will be shared when available.

School Census: FSM Data Required

To ensure pupils are correctly counted in the Autumn 2026 School Census and schools receive the appropriate funding, schools should review and update FSM records before the census submission.

Schools must:

• Check that all pupils eligible for Targeted FSM or Expanded FSM have an active FSM record.
• Ensure FSM eligibility has been re-verified on or after 1 June 2026 for all pupils with a live FSM entitlement.
• Record the new FSM Category as either Targeted FSM or Expanded FSM.
• Add a valid Last Verified Date for all pupils with a current FSM entitlement.
• Ensure FSM start and end dates are accurate and reflect any changes in eligibility.
• Review pupils whose eligibility has changed between Targeted FSM and Expanded FSM and update records accordingly.
• Exclude pupils who only receive Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) from FSM eligibility records.

Why This Is Important

• From Autumn 2026, a valid FSM verification date is required for all pupils with a current FSM entitlement. Pupils without a valid verification date will not be counted as FSM eligible in the School Census, which may affect funding allocations.
• Schools are encouraged to review FSM records as soon as possible and complete all eligibility checks before the census date.

Key Dates for Autumn 2026 Census

• FSM eligibility must be re-checked on or after 1 June 2026.
• Valid Last Verified Dates must fall between 1 June 2026 and 1 October 2026.
• FSM eligibility end dates reported in the Autumn Census must fall between 22 May 2026 and 1 October 2026.

Key Dates

• 1 June 2026
• Summer 2026
• September 2026
• By Autumn 2026 School Census
• 1 October 2026

We are currently updating our online application forms, systems and website to reflect these changes.

We appreciate your patience while these updates are implemented and further guidance is finalised. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.

If you have any questions, please contact revenue.services@walthamforest.gov.uk.