Important information before applying for Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants
Free School Meals applications
Applications are processed by the school of the first child listed on your application.
Please note that applications are only processed during school term time.
Enquiries about Free School Meals
During term time, all enquiries should be directed to your child’s school. During school holiday periods only, enquiries can be sent to: fsm@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Enquiries sent to this email address during term time will not receive a response.
School Clothing Grants
All enquiries relating to School Clothing Grants should be directed to: scgrants@aberdeencity.gov.uk. Applications for School Clothing Grants are processed both during and outside of term time.
Holiday period vouchers (low-income families)
To be eligible for vouchers during school holidays, applications must be submitted and approved at least two weeks prior to the start of the holiday period.
Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants – annual renewal reminder
Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants are awarded on a yearly basis, aligned with the financial year (April to March). To ensure continued support without interruption, families are kindly reminded to reapply each year between 1 April and 15 May.
Free School Meals
A free school meal is a school lunch we provide free of charge to:
- All children in primary 1 to 5
- Children from families on a low income
- Children from families receiving support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Children in primary 6 to 7 if the parent/carer receives the Scottish Child Payment
- Young people in Secondary Year 1 to Secondary Year 3 (S1-S3) if the parent/carer receives the Scottish Child Payment
Universal free school meals
All children in primary 1 to 5 and children attending special schools (Orchard Brae and Aberdeen School for the Deaf) get free school meals during term time regardless of their family's financial circumstances. These are called universal free school meals. You don't have to apply for them, your child will get them automatically.
Families on a low income
In addition to universal free school meals, children from low-income families can get the following if they qualify:
Free school meals after primary 5
Supermarket vouchers during school holidays for children in P1 to S6
School clothing grant (we will award this automatically if you qualify for free school meals based on your income)
To be eligible, parents or carers, or the child if they are between 16 and 18 years old, must receive a qualifying benefit or support (you must provide evidence of your entitlement):
- Income Support (IS)
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Pension Credits (Guaranteed Credits)
- Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit with a monthly take home pay of less than £850
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
Families who receive Scottish Child Payment
If you don't meet the conditions for families on a low income, you can still apply for free school meals if you:
- Get the Scottish Child Payment; and
- Have a child in primary 6 or 7 or
- Have a child in Secondary Year 1, Secondary Year 2 or Secondary Year 3
This is due to changes in Scottish Government legislation.
Free school meal vouchers during holiday periods
To receive Free School Meal Vouchers, due to low income, you must apply for free school meals for all children in your family in Primary 1 and above, including any who receive universal entitlement (e.g. Primary 1 to Primary 5 or those attending a Special School).
To be eligible to receive Free School Meal Vouchers during holiday periods, parents or carers, or the child if they are between 16 and 18 years old, must receive a qualifying benefit or support:
- Income Support (IS)
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA)
- Pension Credits (Guaranteed Credits)
- Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit with a monthly take home pay of less than £850
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
School Clothing Grant
This form is for applications for the 2025/2026 session, applications for the 2024/2025 session have now closed.
You can apply for a school clothing grant once per child in any financial year i.e. between 1 April and 31 March.
The current grant is £120 for primary school pupils and £150 for secondary school pupils. For pupils of statutory school age the grant must be applied for by the parents and is paid to parents. For pupils over statutory school age (16 years old) the grant must be applied for by the student and is paid to the student.
Pupils will be eligible for a school clothing grant if they attend an Aberdeen City Council school, and their parents/carers are in receipt of any one of the following (please note you will be required to upload proof of receipt):
- Income Support.
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA).
- Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
- Universal Credit and your monthly earned income is not more than £850.
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
- Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reductions.
Please note, you can only apply for children currently attending school or about to enter Primary 1. If you are an eligible student who receives an Education Maintenance Allowance, you can apply for a school clothing grant for yourself.
Applications for session 2025/2026 can be made from 1 April 2025 and will be paid from the beginning of May 2025.
You can apply for a school clothing grant online. Before you apply online, you will need to set up an account. This is so you can track the progress of your application.
Anyone who has already received a school clothing grant for 2025/26 will receive a winter clothing payment of £30.
All new successful applications up until 31 March 2026 will also receive an additional £30 winter clothing payment paid along with the school clothing grant.
Apply for free school meals and School Clothing Grant
You can apply for free school meals online. You will need to provide evidence of the benefit/s that you receive.
You must provide evidence of the qualifying benefit each year in April. If you stop claiming the benefits you must notify the school. If you receive a free school meal to which you are not entitled, you may be asked to pay the money back.
All families currently receiving free school meals, who were awarded the benefit before 1st April 2024, must complete a new application for free school meals, to renew their entitlement and update their details.
For more information, please see the frequently asked questions below.