Free School Meals and Pupil Premium
Free School Meals – Arrangements from September 2026
From the start of the 2026–27 academic year, the Government expanded Free School Meal eligibility in England. In Cheshire East, families will see three Free School Meal entitlements:
1. Universal Infant Free School Meals
2. Targeted Free School Meals
3. Expanded Free School Meals
Targeted and Expanded Free School Meals are the two benefits-based Free School Meal categories introduced under the new arrangements.
1. Universal Infant Free School Meals
All children attending a state-funded school in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal regardless of family income or benefits. You do not need to apply simply to receive a Universal Infant Free School Meal.
However, if your family may also meet the criteria for Targeted Free School Meals, it is very important that you apply.
This is because Targeted FSM eligibility may also attract Pupil Premium funding for the school, providing additional funding to support your child's education and other eligible pupils.
2. Targeted Free School Meals
From the 2026–27 academic year, a child in a household receiving Universal Credit with annual household earnings of £7,400 or less is eligible for Targeted Free School Meals. Households may also qualify for Targeted FSM if they receive or meet the relevant criteria for:
support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
the guarantee element of Pension Credit
qualifying support under the Government's No Recourse to Public Funds arrangements.
A claim must be made and eligibility confirmed.
Targeted FSM is particularly important because eligible pupils can also attract Pupil Premium and other disadvantage-related funding. Other education entitlements, including the Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) and the extended rights element of school travel assistance, also continue to be linked to Targeted FSM eligibility.
3. Expanded Free School Meals
From the start of the 2026–27 academic year, children in all households receiving Universal Credit can qualify for a free school meal, regardless of household earnings. Where a household receives Universal Credit but its annual household earnings are above £7,400, the child will normally fall into the Expanded Free School Meals category rather than Targeted FSM. Families must still make a claim so that eligibility can be checked and confirmed. Children eligible through Expanded FSM receive the free meal, but Expanded FSM does not itself attract Pupil Premium funding.
Why Should I Apply?
Please apply if you think your family may be eligible, even if:
your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and already receives a Universal Infant Free School Meal
your child usually chooses to bring a packed lunch
you are unsure whether your household will fall into the Targeted or Expanded category.
Applying ensures that your child's eligibility is properly recorded and that they receive any entitlement available to them.
Where a child qualifies for Targeted FSM, registration may also help Brierley receive additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils.
Pupil Premium and Ever 6
From the 2026–27 academic year, Targeted FSM, rather than Expanded FSM, is used when determining new eligibility for the FSM Ever 6 cohort used for Pupil Premium and other disadvantage funding. Children who were already part of the Ever 6 cohort because of previous FSM eligibility continue to remain within that cohort for the relevant six-year period. This means that a child who becomes eligible for a free meal for the first time solely through Expanded FSM does not automatically attract Pupil Premium funding.
Families with No Recourse to Public Funds
Children in families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) may also be eligible for Free School Meals. For families living outside London, the current Government income thresholds are:
£22,700 a year for a family with one child
£26,300 a year for a family with two or more children.
Families must also have no more than £16,000 in capital and savings. Different evidence and application arrangements apply to NRPF households. If you think your family may qualify through this route, contact Cheshire East Free School Meals at: freeschoolmeals@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Cheshire East will provide the appropriate application form and guidance.
How to Apply
Applications for Targeted and Expanded Free School Meals in Cheshire East are made through the Cheshire East Parent Portal.
Apply for Free School Meals – Cheshire East Council
You can also contact the Cheshire East Free School Meals team:
Telephone: 0300 123 5012
Email: freeschoolmeals@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Free School Meals normally begin from the date that Cheshire East confirms eligibility. Cheshire East cannot cover unpaid meal charges from before an application was approved or refund meals that have already been paid for.
Need Some Help?
If you are unsure whether your child may qualify, would like help understanding the different categories or would like support with an application, please contact us.
School Admin: Vikki Baker
Telephone: 01270 698840
Email: admin@brierley.cheshire.sch.uk
Supporting Every Child
At Brierley Primary School, we want every child to achieve well, feel that they belong and have full access to the opportunities school provides. Pupil Premium is additional funding provided to schools to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. We use this funding carefully to help remove barriers to learning, attendance, wellbeing and participation and to ensure that children receive the support they need to succeed.
We know that family circumstances can change. If you think your child may be eligible for Free School Meals, or you need support with any aspect of school life, please speak to us. Our aim is always to work with families sensitively, respectfully and without judgement.
Pupil Premium and Priority Learners
At Brierley, we use the term Priority Learners to help us maintain a strong focus on individual children and the barriers they may experience, rather than defining pupils simply by a funding category. Priority Learners may include pupils who are eligible for Pupil Premium, looked-after and previously looked-after children, pupils who have or have had a social worker, and other pupils whose circumstances mean that they may benefit from additional support. Not every Priority Learner attracts Pupil Premium funding. Priority Learner is a broader school term, while Pupil Premium is a specific government funding category.
Our approach is based on some important principles:
Know our children well – we use assessment, attendance information and conversations with children and families to understand individual strengths, needs, barriers and aspirations.
High-quality teaching comes first – strong, inclusive classroom teaching is one of the most important ways we can improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Identify the barrier, not the label – eligibility for Pupil Premium does not mean that every child needs the same support.
Equity matters – some children may need additional or different support so that they have the same opportunity to succeed.
Belonging and participation matter – we want our Priority Learners to be fully represented in lessons, clubs, visits, leadership opportunities and the wider life of Brierley.
High expectations matter – disadvantage should never lower our expectations of what a child can achieve.
We check what is working – support is monitored, evaluated and adapted according to children's needs and the impact it is having.
How We Use Pupil Premium at Brierley
Pupil Premium is not a personal budget or a fixed amount of support allocated to an individual child. We use the funding strategically, based on the needs of our pupils and in line with Department for Education guidance.
This may include:
developing high-quality teaching and inclusive classroom practice
staff training and professional development
targeted academic support, including one-to-one or small-group intervention
support for language, literacy and numeracy
targeted support for disadvantaged pupils with SEND
attendance support
pastoral, social and emotional support
helping pupils to develop a strong sense of belonging
working with and supporting families
enrichment and wider opportunities, including sport, music, clubs and other activities
addressing identified barriers that may prevent pupils from attending, participating or succeeding in school.
Our Pupil Premium Strategy Statement provides further information about the needs we have identified, how we plan to use our funding and how we evaluate its impact. Please see files below.
