Key information
Request reference number: MGLA190723-2174
Date of response:
Summary of request
Your request
1. Please can you advise the cost to parents of a school meal for primary aged children (aged 4 to 11) for the academic year 2023-24.
2. Please can you advise the cost to schools of a school meal for primary aged children (aged 4 to 11) for the academic year 2023-24.
3. Please can you advise the income threshold for eligibility for free school meals for the academic year 2023/2024.
Our response
Please see below responses to your enquiry, in relation to the Mayor of London’s Universal Free School Meal scheme in London state primary schools.
1 The Mayor’s scheme is designed and funded so there should be no cost to parents. Under the Mayor of London’s Free School Meal (FSM) scheme, pupils in Key Stage 2 who are not eligible for the Government means-tested FSM or Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) schemes will be provided with a free school meal in the 2023-24 academic year. This is in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
This funding will help up to 270,000 primary school children (in state funded school years 3-6) in the capital who currently do not receive free school meals funded by national government and could save families around £440 across the year.
You can find out more about the Mayor’s scheme on our website.
2. Funding for the Mayor of London FSM scheme will be provided to London boroughs for allocation to schools. This funding will be offered at £2.65 per meal, which is higher than the recently increased Government funding of £2.53 for UIFSM.
The amount schools pay per meal varies across London, depending on the contract the school has with their caterer or if they provide it in house. This is the case for meal provision at KS1 and KS2.
The GLA does not hold the individual data for what each school pays for free school meals.
3. The Mayor of London scheme is a universal offer and therefore not subject to eligibility criteria.
Eligibility criteria for the Government Free School Meal scheme can be found here.
If you have any further questions relating to this matter, please contact us, quoting reference MGLA190723-2174.