Free Meal & Clothing Entitlement

Families on low income can get school grants to help with the cost of lunches and school clothing. The below information is from the City of Edinburgh Council website. 

We carried out an annual exercise in early July 2022 to identify families who will be entitled to school grants, using information we hold about their benefits. We wrote to these families on 14 July 2022 to advise they qualify for school grants.

Families who did not receive an automatic award can apply for school grants.

If you match the conditions for free school meals on the Scottish Government website you will be eligible for

• free school meals
• payment for lunches during school holidays
• free milk (Primary schools)
• a school clothing grant to help buy school clothes
• a Scottish child bridging payment 

for your children attending primary and secondary schools.

They are not available to children in early years settings.

Only one application form is required to apply for all of these grants.

If you apply on or before 30 September 2022, we will backdate your Free School Meals award to the start of term – 17 August 2022.

If you apply after 30 September 2022, we will award Free School Meals from the date we receive your application.

Apply for school grants

Download our privacy notice (PDF)

Award

Each award is valid for one school year. The award provides

• each child with one school meal and milk each day they attend school – In Secondary schools this is in the form of money on to your child’s canteen account, with which they can purchase food and drink at the school canteen
• payments to help with meals during school holidays
• a clothing grant payment of £120 for each primary child and £150 for each secondary child, paid once a year into your bank account.

We pay clothing grants between July until 31 March the following year. Only one Clothing Grant is paid per child.

Most clothing grants are paid throughout July and August before the new school year begins.

If your child is above the age for compulsory education (over 16 years of age on 30 September), the clothing grant will not be paid until the school confirm they have returned after the summer holiday.