More Scots school children eligible for free school meals after Scottish Government legislation expansion

Glasgow school children in primary six and seven could now be entitled to free school meals provided their parent or carer receives child payment support.

It comes after changes to Scottish Government legislation regarding the expansion of free school meals means that pupils in p6 and p7, whose parent or carer is in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment (SCP), are now eligible for free school meals.

The SCP is designed to help with the cost of supporting a family. It is a weekly payment of £26.70 that parents or carers can receive for every child they look after who is under 16 years of age.

If successful, the payment is made every four weeks.

Children may also be eligible for free school meals if their family receives: Universal Credit, Income Support, Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance, Income-based Employment and Support Allowance, and Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Since January 2022, free school meals have been available in all Glasgow schools for P1–P5 through universal entitlement.

The local authority says that new applications for free school meals will be processed within four weeks of the council’s team receiving fully completed forms.

For those who are already in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment and do not currently receive free school meals for their child in P6 or P7, the council is encouraging them to fill out an application form as soon as possible.

Parents are also being advised that this change will not entitle a child to a free breakfast or the school holiday payment and will apply to school lunches only.

More information can be found on the official page.