Free school meals: Holiday direct payments

Spring holiday 2025

Following the decision to provide direct payments for free school meals during the school holiday periods, these payments will continue to be provided over the Spring 2025 holiday period for those families of school age pupils entitled to free school meals who receive a qualifying benefit. The payment will be made on Thursday 3 April 2025 for applications which were approved and processed prior to Thursday 20 March 2025. This payment will cover the Easter holidays, the February mid-term break and the school closure date on Friday 24 January 2025.

If you were in receipt of a qualifying benefit (listed below), your child received free school meals as at Thursday 20 March 2025, and you received a school clothing grant during school session 2024 to 2025, you do not need to contact us: a payment will be made automatically to you. The Council will contact parents directly where bank account details are not currently held. If you are in receipt of a qualifying benefit for free school meals but did not receive a school clothing grant, please contact us at FBSSchools@pkc.gov.uk.

Note: Children receiving free school meals based on universal provision (Primary 1 to Primary 5), children in Primary 6 to Primary 7 who are in receipt of free school meals based on Scottish Child Payment, and those currently receiving free lunches in Early Learning and Childcare settings, are not eligible for this payment.

Qualifying benefits

• Income Support (IS)
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (IBJSA)
• Any income-related element of Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit (CTC), but not Working Tax Credit, and your income is less than £19,995
• Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Working Tax Credit (WTC) and your income is less than £9,552
• If you are aged between 16 and 18 years and receive any of these benefits in your own right, you can claim free school meals for yourself
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Universal Credit where the monthly earned income does not exceed £796