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Free school meal support to families with eligible learners

Support for learners eligible for free school meals during school holidays 2023

The Welsh Government has made available funding at the rate of £3.90 per day per eligible learner to make free school meal provision available during school holidays up to and including Spring 2023 half term, including bank holidays on the 1st and 8th of May 2023.

BACS payments will be paid to eligible families as follows: 

Eligible dates

£ paid per learner

Dates paid by

1st and 8th May 

£7.80

28th April 

29th May – 2nd June

£19.50

26th May

Regardless of eligibility for Free School Meals, learners in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and eligible Nursery learners are entitled to a Universal Primary Free School. 

To be entitled to the holiday payment, you must have applied for Free School Meals even if your child receives a free school meal under the Universal Primary Free School Meal scheme. Potential entitlement to a School Essentials Grant (formerly PDG Access) is also dependent upon a successful application for Free School Meals.

If eligible families don’t apply for a Free School Meal through the Council it will affect the amount of funding that individual schools receive from Welsh Government, which will mean the school has less money than it is entitled to in order to provide education and support to your children.