23/7/24 

More than 20,900 primary age school pupils city-wide are now able to benefit from free school meals through Welsh Government's Universal Free School Meals programme, ensuring children eat well during the school day whilst providing financial benefit to families. 

Extensive work carried out by Cardiff's Education Catering teamshas seen school kitchens across the city updated and capacity increased, so that provision can be efficiently delivered to primary aged children inCardiff's primary and special schools.

All primary pupils from Reception to Year 6 are able to access free school meals. To ensure primary aged children do not miss out on their free school meals, families should log onto their ParentPay account to pre order. More information is available here www.parentpay.com

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: "Many families are still experiencing challenges relating to the current cost of living andCardiff Council has been committed to delivering free school meals to all those eligible, as efficiently as possible to ensure that the financial squeeze does not get in the way of education.

"Facilitating this level of changehas not been without its challenges, with each school being different in size and capacity, however despitethese considerable difficulties the successful rollout of the scheme is a welcome addition which is already benefitting thousands of families across the city.

"In addition to Universal Free School Meals, families with children in secondary school who receive benefits, should continue to register for a free school meal. Itis essential that those parents who need it most, receive the help that they are entitled to.I urge anyone who thinks they might be eligible for free school meals and other help, to get in touch so that they can access the right support throughout the school year."

Important information about benefit based Free School Meals

In addition to Universal Free School Meals, families who receive benefits and with children of all ages,mustcontinue to register for a free school meal. Details can be found here; Free School Meals

They may be also be entitled to other grants which can help to buy school uniform and other school essentials. Registering for available support may also mean a child's school can access additional funding which can be spent on supporting learning.

Qualifying benefits include:

• Income Support 
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit (provided not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) 
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit 
  • Universal Credit with a net household earnings of less £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any other benefits received).

Eligible learners in Cardiff can also access additional financial support from the Welsh Government School Essentials scheme (formerly Pupil Development Grant) which helps with the cost of uniform, sports equipment, stationery, and devices. This is in addition to Free School Meals.

If you are a family with children who arenotcurrently receiving Free School Meals and your circumstances have changed this year, Cardiff Council might have support available for you. To check if you are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) and School Essentials grant, which includes support for uniform, sports equipment and devices, visit Free School Meals

You can also call the Adviceline on 029 2087 1071 or pop into one of our Hubs.

If your child is currently in receipt of Free School Meals, you may also be entitled to additional help through the School Essentials Grant.To access this year's scheme please visit;
School Essentials Grant

Many schools in Cardiff run uniform recycling schemes and other uniform donation initiatives are run across the city such as charity, A Better Fit.

The Universal Free School Meals policy is part of the Co-operation Agreement between

For more information, visit Find out about Free School Meals

• Cardiff Council currently has a range of support for people struggling with cost of living pressures. This includes assistance with obtaining food, advice on winter fuel bills, help with rent arrears and much more. We encourage anyone experiencing difficulties at the moment to get in touch with our Money Advice Team on 029 2087 1071, email advicehub@cardiff.gov.uk, pop into any Hub or visit www.cardiff.gov.uk/costofliving

The phased delivery of the Universal Free School Meal programme began with Reception age pupils receiving Universal Free School Meals from September 2022, Year 1 pupils from April 2023 and Year 2 pupils from June 2023. Year 3 pupils were offered the provision from September 2023, Year 4 pupils from November 2023 and Years 5 and 6 from June 2024, in line with Welsh Government target dates.