Free school meals are offered for most primary school children and some secondary school pupils in Scotland.
All children in P1 to P5 are eligible for a free lunch at school.
Free school meals for all P1 to P3 pupils were introduced by the Scottish Government in January 2015, followed P4 and latterly P5 in January 2022.
In England free school meals for all are only offered up to Year Two, the equivalent of P3.
For P6, P7 and secondary school pupils in Scotland, eligibility for free school meals depends upon financial circumstances.
Eligibility criteria
Pupils are entitled to a free school meal in Scotland if their parents (or they if aged over 16) get:
- Universal Credit (monthly earned income not more than £625)
- Income Support
- Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) and with income under £16,105
- Both both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with income up to £7,500
Children in early learning and childcare can also get free lunches if their place is funded or their parents claimed any of the benefits listed.
Some local authorities also make payments in place of free school meals during school holidays.
Applications for free school meals for pupils in P6 and above can be made for those in Tayside and Fife schools on the relevant websites for Angus Council, Fife Council, Dundee City Council and Perth and Kinross Council.
School meals menus for Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross – updated weekly
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