We can provide Free School Meals, and payment towards the cost of school clothing and footwear (clothing grants) to the value of £125.00 per child/per year for primary school children, and £155.00 per child/per year for secondary school children.

To be eligible, you should normally be resident in the Falkirk Council area and your child(ren) must attend any primary, special or secondary school managed by Falkirk Council. Payments may also be made where pupils are attending schools outside the area in limited circumstances.

To check if you qualify, please refer to the table below.

Your income School Clothing Grant Free School Meals
Income Support yes yes
Income-based Job Seekers Allowance yes yes
Income related Employment and Support Allowance yes yes
Universal Credit with monthly earned income of not more than £796 yes yes
Universal Credit with monthly earned income between £796 and £1,666 yes no
Child Tax Credit only (no Working Tax Credit) with other income under £19,995 yes yes
Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with other income under £9,552 yes yes
Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with other income between £9,552 and £19,995 yes no
Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 yes yes

Pupils are eligible to apply for Free School Meals in their own right if they are aged 16-18 and in receipt of one of the benefits listed above.

Pupils who turn 16 on or before 30th September of the relevant school year, will not be eligible for an award of clothing grant but should apply for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) instead. These pupils are still eligible for free school meals.

Scottish Government expansion of universal free school meal provision in primary schools

From January 2022, all pupils attending Primary 1 - 5 are universally entitled to free school meals.

Note: You do not need to apply for Free School Meals. However eligible families should still submit an application for Free School Meals and Clothing Grant for these pupils where necessary in order to qualify for School Meal Holiday Payments and Clothing Grant.


How to apply

If you need to submit a new application form you can do so by following the link below.

Please note: You may need to provide supporting evidence with your online application form. Please see the Additional information section below where you can see examples of the evidence we usually need from you.

The deadline for Clothing Grant applications is 31 March of the relevant school year.

There is no deadline for Free School Meals applications.


What happens next

If you have submitted a new application form, we aim to contact you within 28 days of receiving your application.

Please refer to our FAQ's if you have any queries about your entitlement or the application process.


Update your bank details

If you need to update your bank details, use our online form below:


Supporting documents

Submit any documents you have been asked to supply using our online form.

You can currently use the form to submit documents for the following services:

  • Housing Benefit/Discretionary Housing Payment
  • Council Tax
  • Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants
  • Education Maintenance Allowance

Additional information

Further information about Free School Meals and Clothing Grants can be found on our frequently asked questions page. This contains a variety of information regarding applications, payments and more.

Please also see below examples of the evidence of income we may need you to submit with your online application form.

Universal Credit Award Details Example 1
Universal Credit Award Details Example 2 (from Mobile)
Tax Credits Award Example 1 (Letter)
Tax Credits Award Example 2 (Online)