We can provide free school meals and a school clothing grant if you are on a low income. The school clothing grant is £130 per child for primary school pupils and £160 per child for high school pupils.
To qualify for free school meals and a school clothing grant you must receive one of the following:
You can also receive free school meals and clothing grant if you care for a child as part of a kinship care agreement.
Free School Meals – Primary 6 & 7 Pupils
From 3rd March 2025 pupils in Primary 6 and 7 whose parent or carer receives Scottish Child Payment for them are eligible for free school meals.
If you receive a Scottish Child Payment for a child in primary 6 or 7 (and don’t already receive free school meals for them), you can now apply. You will need to provide evidence of your Scottish Child Payment award along with your application. This should be an official letter from Social Security Scotland confirming your award.
Please note, this change will not entitle your child to receive a payment in lieu of school meals during school holiday periods.
All children in primary 1-5 can receive a free school meal without an application however, you must still apply to receive free school milk and a school clothing grant.
Scottish Child Payment applications are now open for children aged 6 – 15.
It is important that you make your application as soon as possible. If you already receive Scottish Child Payment for a child under 6 but you have older children you must contact Social Security Scotland to let them know.
You can apply online at Scottish Government - Scottish Child Payment which should take around 10 to 20 minutes in total. Before applying, you'll need:
If you cannot apply online, you can apply by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222. Please be aware that lines may be busy, due to the number of children and families who are newly eligible for this benefit, therefore it may take longer than normal for calls to be answered.
Applications for the new school year (2024/2025) opened on 1st May 2024.
Back To TopWe can provide free school meals and a school clothing grant if you are on a low income. The school clothing grant is £130.00 per child for primary school pupils and £160.00 per child for high school pupils.
Back To TopThe first date a school clothing grant will be paid for the 2024/25 session is 4th July 2024. For applications processed after this date, payment will be made the following week.
Back To TopYou can apply using the online form available on this page.
Back To TopIf you need help completing the application form you can contact us:
If you are entitled to a school clothing grant, a payment will be made direct into your bank account. If you are entitled to Free School Meals, we will notify your child’s school.
If we require further information to support your application, we will contact you.
If you are not entitled to receive Free School Meals and/or School Clothing Grant, we will notify you of this by email or post.
We aim to process your application within 5 working days of receiving it. If you require an update on your application, you can contact us:
It depends on individual circumstances. If you have child starting primary 1 or a child old enough to leave school this summer, you will need to apply for them to confirm they will be starting/returning to school.
If your child is in primary 6 or 7 and receives free school meals based on Scottish Child Payment, then you will need to apply for them for the new school year.
If you receive a letter from us confirming you will receive a payment/s for all your children, then you do not have to reapply. If you do not receive a letter from us confirming you will receive this grant, then you will need to reapply.
Back To TopIf your child/children receive free school meals, you must notify us of any changes to your household details. For example, if:
You can report a change:
Yes, you will need to apply for your youngest who's starting school this year. You need to apply even if you have older children who you receive the payment for. Generally, when we write to you to confirm that you will receive a payment for your older child/ren, the letter will also say that you need to apply for any child/ren not included on it.
Back To TopIf you apply before 1st May for the term starting after the summer, then yes you will need to reapply.
Back To TopOnce you’ve applied you will need to provide evidence to support your claim. This should be the most up-to-date, original, award letter for the benefit you receive.
The options for providing evidence are:
You don't need to provide evidence of income if you already receive:
Yes, we will post your original documents back to you via Royal Mail 2nd class post.
Back To TopFor more information on managing your benefits, living on a budget or help to find work, please see our Benefits Section.
