Free school meals

Contact these schools directly for free school meal enquiries or new applications:

• Barton Moss Primary School
• Buile Hill Academy
• Ellesmere Park High School
• Marlborough Road Academy
• Moorside High School
• St Augustine's CE Primary School

If your child was receiving a free school meal during the last school year there is no need to renew your application as the Government introduced transitional protection for claimants of income related free school meals.

Free school meals are for children who:

• live in the City of Salford (the area covered by Salford City Council); and
• go to school (not a day nursery or children's centre) in Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford or Wigan)

If you live outside the city of Salford, but your child goes to a Salford school, complete the online form below.

Free meals are not usually available for children who go to independent (private) schools.

Who is entitled to free school meals:

• registered pupils at primary and secondary free schools, academies and local authority maintained schools (including a sixth form centre attached to a maintained school); and
• pupils attending maintained nurseries, as long as they are receiving education before and after lunch.

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Universal Credit (not working)
• Universal Credit (working) where your net earned income is no more than £7,400 a year.*
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
• Where a parent is entitled to Working Tax Credit Run-on, paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• If you get support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

*Please note: To be entitled to claim free school meals (FSM) when working and claiming Universal Credit, your net earned income for one period should be no more than £616.67, no more than £1,233.34 for two consecutive payment periods, and no more than £1,850.00 for three consecutive payment periods.

Therefore if your net earned income for one, two or three periods are below the upper earnings limits stated, you would be entitled to claim FSM.

When you apply online, you will need to upload screen shots of each page of the relevant payment statement(s), especially the page(s) showing any deductions that are being made, with your online application, so we can then determine if you are entitled to claim free school meals. 

However, if your net earned income exceed the limits for one period, £616.67, or two periods £1,233.34, or three periods exceed £1,850.00, then you would not qualify to claim FSM.

Children who receive any of the above benefits in their own right (for example they get payments directly, instead of through a parent or guardian) can also get free school meals.

Even if your child won't have the school lunch, registering helps schools receive 'pupil premium' for each eligible child, used for useful services or extra support (e.g., music lessons, school trips).

Reception, year 1, and year 2 pupils in state-funded schools are eligible for UIFSM, regardless of parents' income.

Discuss with the school staff to fill in an application form if necessary.

In addition to UIFSM, if you do meet the criteria for claiming income related or asylum seeker free school meals, as outlined above, then please submit an online claim, so that your child’s school to receive additional Pupil Premium funding from the Government.

Parents of children who are 16 and over, who are attending a further education college or a sixth form centre (not attached to a school), must apply to their child's college for free meals if they get a qualifying income listed above.

If you have a general enquiry about free school meals please use our contact FSM form.

Enquire about a child’s existing free school meal claim

If you are claiming any of the qualifying benefits listed above, please use this form:

Apply for income related free school meals

Or if you are an asylum seeker please use this form:

Apply for free school meals as an Asylum Seeker

Or if you have no recourse to public funds (NRPF), please use this form:

Apply for free school meals if you have no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

Members of staff who work at Salford schools can submit applications and enquiries on behalf of parents using our Salford schools FSM form.

Salford schools free school meal application/enquiry form

Members of staff who work at schools outside Salford can submit applications and enquiries on behalf of parents using our out of area schools FSM form.

Out of area schools free school meal application/enquiry form

Members of staff who work for Salford City Council can submit applications and enquiries on behalf of parents using the form below.

Council employees free school meal application/enquiry form

Members of staff from external organisations that support asylum seekers can submit applications and enquiries on behalf of parents using our External organisations FSM form.

External organisations free school meals application/enquiry form

Please be aware that photos of supporting documents or screen shots of online accounts can be uploaded with any of the above forms, and that we will be unable to process applications for free school meals unless we have seen the necessary proof that you are entitled to claim.