Guidance and support for schools

Funding is issued at the borough level, and it is the responsibility of each borough to administer the funding to their schools including:  

• Local Authority maintained schools (including state funded Special education and alternative provision) and   

• Non-Local  Authorities maintained schools i.e. payment to Academy Trusts would be made by each Local Authority for Multi Academy Trusts in their area. 

• Non-Maintained Special Schools (NMSS).

The Mayor’s programme is consistent with the Government’s existing funding of meals.  It covers state-funded primary schools in London, special schools and pupil referral units, including faith schools, but not private or independent schools. 

The funding for 2025-26 will see boroughs offered £3 per meal to help to continue to deliver the meals from September, a 13 per cent increase on funding for 2023/24 to reflect feedback on implementation from schools and boroughs in year one. 

The funding allocations have been made with an assumed 87 per cent uptake. Boroughs will have the opportunity to secure additional funding for their schools if they are able to evidence that uptake of the scheme has been higher.   
 

We have allocated funding to boroughs who already provided universal free school meals (USFM) to their primary pupils as if they were not currently providing this function. These boroughs have been encouraged to spend their freed-up funding on supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis and/or working with schools to improve the quality and uptake of school lunches. 

With the introduction of the Mayor of London’s expansion of universal free school meals, it is important that families continue to register for the Government funded Free School Meals to ensure schools receive maximum pupil premium funding and families get all the wider benefits they are entitled to. To take some of the registration burden off families and schools, the Mayor has been working closely with London boroughs to implement Free School Meals (FSM) auto-enrolment or similar approaches to universal registration. These borough processes have so far found thousands of FSM eligible pupils who were previously not registered and secured millions of pupil premium funding. 

There is of course still a vital role for schools to promote FSM registration, making sure no families fall through the gaps. Schools should speak to their borough if they would like any help or ideas on how to encourage registration for their pupils and families.