There has been an important national change to the eligibility criteria for Free School Meals (FSM), which means that from 1 September 2026, your child or children may be eligible to claim Free School Meals if you are on a low income and receive a qualifying benefit.

If you believe your child may now be eligible, you can apply directly to Telford and Wrekin Council via their portal:

Telford & Wrekin Council | Free School Meals

On the portal, you will also be able to find more detail regarding eligibility on who qualifies and if you do then decide to apply, it is advisable that when completing your application form, you enter the start date as 01/09/2026 to ensure that your eligibility is assessed against the new criteria.

Please be aware that if you are registered for Free School Meals under a different Local Authority to Telford and Wrekin, you will need to reapply through this LA using the above link.

If you are receiving Universal Credit, it may be worth checking your eligibility as appropriate.

Should you have any queries, please do contact our Finance Team on finance@nghs.org.uk or contact Telford and Wrekin directly about this matter on freeschoolmeals@telford.gov.uk.

NGHS receives this information from T&W Local Authority and more information can be found on their website (see link above).

If you have any questions, please contact the Finance Office, in confidence on 01952 797550.