Your child, or children, may be eligible to claim Free School Meals if you are on a low income and receive a qualifying benefit.

Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can receive universal infant free school meals, and this is not linked to your income.

If you receive one of the qualifying benefits, your child’s school can receive Pupil Premium funding. Even if you don’t want your child (or children) to receive the meals or they receive universal free school meals and you receive one of the qualifying benefits, it is still important to make an application to Free School Meals. This will allow your child’s school to receive extra funding, which could then be used to support them.

The council’s Let's Dine team work in partnership with our schools to provide a healthy and nutritionally-balanced meal in an enjoyable lunchtime experience. More information can be found on our Let’s Dine web page.

We also administer the Free School Meals application process for a number of schools outside of our borough.

Free School Meals

Last updated : 8 January 2025

Your child, or children, may qualify for Free School Meals if you meet the following criteria:

  • you or your partner (if you have one) have a child for whom you receive Child Benefit and who is attending a school or college in Telford and Wrekin,

and you get any of the following:

  • Universal Credit and your household income is less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)*,
  • Income Support,
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance,
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance,
  • Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190),
  • Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit),
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Each school receives a weekly list showing the names of all children who are entitled to Free School Meals.

* Extended Eligibility Criteria from September 2026

From the start of the 2026/27 school year (September 2026), the Department for Education are extending the entitlement to free school meals to include all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit.  The £7,400 a year limit will no longer apply.  Applications can be made in advance of the new school year and we will check and notify parents / carers of entitlement.

Transitional Protection

Since 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants have continued to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This applies regardless of any change in household circumstances, including if their earnings rise above the threshold during that time or if entitlement to one of the qualifying benefits ends. This is called Transitional Protection. Protections will remain in place until the end of the 2025/26 school year. At the end of the 2025/26 school year, all free school meal claims will be checked for eligibility, and those who do not meet the criteria will not be entitled to free school meals. From September 2026 when these protections end any entitlement will be based on income prior to September 2026 with income checked annually.  If during the year a household becomes entitled to one of the qualifying benefits then a new application can be made.

Last updated : 11 June 2026

To apply for Free School Meals or the Pupil Premium, please complete our online web form:

Complete our online form to apply for Free School Meals

If your application is successful, we will notify you so that you know your child (or children) have entitlement to Free School Meals. We will also notify their school (or schools).

If you have a child who is aged three of four years and in funded childcare, the childcare setting may be able to claim extra funding to support your child. More details can be found by visiting our Early Years Pupil Premium pages.

Last updated : 1 October 2024

Privacy Notice for Free School Meals Opt-out Auto-award (auto-enrolment)

Introduction

Telford and Wrekin Council is introducing a process to identify pupils who are entitled to benefit-related Free School Meals (FSM) but not yet registered. This is called Opt-out Auto-award (also known as auto-enrolment). As part of the process, we will use and process your information to confirm eligibility. For more information on why we collect and use your information, please see our Privacy Notice for FSM Opt-out Auto-award. 

FSM Opt-out Auto-award Privacy Notice under the General Data Protection Regulations 2018

This Privacy Notice is designed to help you understand how the Telford and Wrekin Council’s Free School Meals (FSM) team will use and process your information to administer the free school meals Opt-out Auto-award scheme. The details will outline:

1.    Why we collect and use your information;
2.    The type of information we process
3.    Who we share your data with
4.    The legal basis for processing your information
5.    How long will we hold your personal data
6.    Your rights and how to opt-out 
7.    Exercising your rights or contacting us
8.    Your right to complain

This Privacy Notice should be read alongside our Terms and disclaimer. 

1. Why we collect and use your information

Under the Education Act 1996, local authorities and schools have a statutory duty to provide free school meals to eligible pupils whose parents or carers receive certain qualifying benefits.  

Children are entitled to a FSM if their parents receive certain qualifying benefits. Telford and Wrekin is introducing a process to identify pupils who are entitled to benefit-related FSM but not yet registered. This is called Opt-out Auto-award (also known as auto-enrolment).

We do this by securely matching pupil data with benefits records. This ensures that eligible children are registered for FSM in time for the School Census and maximises associated school funding.

We process this data to:     

  • Check your child’s eligibility for FSM.
  • Notify you of your child’s entitlement and give you the opportunity to opt-out of the process.
  • Notify your child’s school of their entitlement (if you do not opt-out) so they can be officially registered for this benefit.
  • Carry out regular checks to confirm ongoing eligibility.
  • Respond to any queries or concerns you may raise.

What happens if you do not opt-out?

If you do not opt-out within the specified timeframe, your child will be automatically enrolled to receive free school meals as part of the School Census.

What if you choose not to provide your personal data?

We require this personal information to perform the data-matching process. If this information is not available, we will be unable to automatically process or confirm your child’s entitlement through this scheme.

2. The type of information we process

We process personal information that Telford and Wrekin Council already holds, including:

  • Parent/Carer (the claimant): Full name, home address, contact details, date of birth, National Insurance number, and details of qualifying benefits claimed.
  • Child: Full name, date of birth, and the school or academy they attend.
    This data is collected from our census and parent/carer records from schools and academies. We will match this to data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to confirm entitlement. 

3. Who we share your data with 

We will share your personal data with the following organisations/partners:

  • Your child’s school or academy
  • Other departments within the council as deemed necessary for this project
  • The Department for Education (DfE) as part of the School Census and Benefits registration process.

We will not share any of your personal data collected with other external organisations unless required to do so by law. However, there may be occasions where we request further information from key third party organisations such as Health or Provider organisations. For further details on the council’s privacy arrangements, please view the Privacy page on the council’s website.

4. The legal basis for processing your information
We process this information under the following lawful bases of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and UK legislation:

  • UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) (Public Task): Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official functions vested in the Council.
  • UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) - Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.
  • Localism Act 2011 (Section 1 - General Power of Competence): Provides local authorities with the power to act innovatively to meet local community needs and invest in the well-being of children. This includes offering Free School Meals to pupils whose families receive Universal Credit.
  • Education Act 1996 (Section 512ZB): Local authorities and schools are required to provide free school meals to eligible pupils. To assess eligibility, the local authority needs to confirm receipt of qualifying benefits (such as Universal Credit).
  • UK GDPR Article 21 (Right to Object): Gives individuals the right to object to the processing of their data. Parents and carers may object within 7–14 days of receiving opt-out communications. If they do so, their response will be documented and their child removed from the dataset.

Telford and Wrekin Council and your child’s school act as ‘data controllers’ for any personal data you provide. We ensure that your data is processed in line with our data protection policies and your rights under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations.

For more information, please contact our Information Governance Office.

5. How long will we hold your personal data

We retain personal data only as long as necessary, in line with our record retention schedules, for 6 years and the current year. At the end of the retention period, information is reviewed and securely destroyed unless required for statutory or legal purposes.

Data may be held longer in exceptional circumstances, such as an active complaint, an ongoing legal claim, or if required by law. 

6. Your rights and how to opt-out

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations you have the right to:

  • Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: Request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Right to object: Object to the processing of your data or withdraw your consent to any processing that is solely reliant upon your consent.

Should you wish to exercise any of your rights, you should contact the Information Governance Team at Telford and Wrekin Council. Details for making contact can be found at the end of this document. 

How to opt-out 
As an entitled child’s parent/carer, you have the right to object to this processing.

  1. Opt-out communications will be sent to you via email or post from council.
  2. You will have 7 to 14 days to object.
  3. If you choose to opt-out, your decision will be securely documented, your child(ren) will be removed from the data matching set, and you will receive no further communication regarding this specific exercise. Financial and life circumstances can change. If you opt-out, but your child remains eligible and unregistered 2 years later, we reserve the right to contact you again to refresh your decision and check if you would like to opt into the service.

7. Exercising your rights or contacting us
If you have questions about this Privacy Notice, wish to exercise any of your data rights, or want to submit an opt-out request, please contact us:

  • By email: freeschoolmeals@telford.gov.uk
  • In writing: Free School Meals Team, Telford & Wrekin Council, Darby House, Lawn Central, Telford, TF3 4JA
  • By telephone: 01952 383983

You can directly contact the council Data Protection Officer via the email or postal address in the section below.

8. Your right to complain
If you are unhappy with how your personal data has been handled, please write to our Data Protection Officer, outlining your concerns. Your complaint will be investigated in accordance with the Council’s customer feedback procedure.

Information Governance Team and the Data Protection Officer can be contacted:

If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can contact them by visiting their website at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Last updated : 14 July 2026