Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants
We are now accepting applications for the school year beginning in August 2025.
The deadline for Clothing Grant applications is 31 March 2026.
There is no deadline for Free School Meals applications.
We can provide Free School Meals, and payment towards the cost of school clothing and footwear (clothing grants) to the value of £135.00 per child/per year for primary school children, and £165.00 per child/per year for secondary school children.
To be eligible, you should normally be resident in the Falkirk Council area and your child(ren) must attend any primary, ASL or secondary school managed by Falkirk Council. Payments may also be made where pupils are attending schools outside the area in limited circumstances.
To check if you qualify, please refer to the table below.
| Your income | School Clothing Grant | Means-tested Free School Meals |
|---|---|---|
| Income Support | yes | yes |
| Income-based Job Seekers Allowance | yes | yes |
| Income related Employment and Support Allowance | yes | yes |
| Universal Credit with monthly earned income of not more than £850 | yes | yes |
| Universal Credit with monthly earned income between £850 and £1,779 | yes | no |
| Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 | yes | yes |
Pupils are eligible to apply for Free School Meals in their own right if they are aged 16-18 and in receipt of one of the benefits listed above.
Pupils who turn 16 on or before 30th September of the relevant school year, will not be eligible for an award of clothing grant but should apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) instead. These pupils are still eligible for free school meals.
Primary 1 - 5 children: Universal Free School Meal entitlement
Since January 2022, all pupils attending Primary 1 - 5 have been entitled to free school meals.
Note: You do not need to apply for Free School Meals. However families should still submit an application to apply for means-tested Free School Meals and Clothing Grant in order to qualify for the School Meal Holiday Payments and Clothing Grant.
Primary 6 - 7 children: Additional Free School Meals entitlement for those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment
The Scottish Government plan to extend the Universal Free School Meal entitlement to include Primary 6/7 pupils, as well as P1-5 pupils. However, the introduction of this entitlement has been delayed until further notice.
Instead, from February 2025, all pupils in Primary 6 and 7 are entitled to free school meals if their parent/carer is in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment. This will be automatically awarded in most cases, however if you believe you are eligible for this and have not yet been awarded free school meals, you can apply online.
Note: Those P6 and P7 pupils who are approved under this new criteria linked to claiming Scottish Child Payment are not entitled to receive the Free School Meals Holiday Payment.
Additional information
Further information about Free School Meals and Clothing Grants can be found on our frequently asked questions pages. They contain a variety of information regarding applications, payments and more.
Please also see below examples of the evidence of income we may need you to submit with your online application form.