Wales becomes the first UK nation to provide universal free school meals to primary school children from the start of term next week, but the offer is not there for older children. Secondary age children not eligible for free school meals will have to pay and prices vary by more than £1 depending on where they live and study.

Around one in five children in Wales now live in families on incomes low enough to qualify for free school meals. The rest, however close they are to the lowest incomes, have to pay.

School meal prices have risen in some local authority areas in the last few years with councils, like families, feeling the pressure of budget cuts and soaring food and energy prices. Some have frozen prices to help families, including Swansea which has not raised its secondary school meal prices for five years. You can read more about the free meal offer to all primary aged children here

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The Welsh Government said it has no plans to extend the free school meal offer to all secondary aged children. Those on lower family incomes can get free school meals, but it will not be made a universal offer.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “There are currently no plans to extend the universal free school meals offer to secondary schools. We continue to support low-income households by ensuring pupils in secondary schools have access to a healthy and nutritious meal during the school day through our free school meal provision for those who are eligible.”

Different councils have different arrangements for secondary school catering with some having one caterer and others allowing schools to employ their own caterers. Prices are for the main meal of the day, but secondary canteens also sell a wide range of other choices and snacks at varying prices. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

This is what each council in Wales charges for secondary school main meals

Anglesey £2.80

RCT £3.10

Cardiff £3.40

Swansea £2.40

Bridgend £2.80

Caerphilly £2.80

Carmarthenshire £2.80

Powys £2.65

Newport £2.40 (Caerleon Comprehensive and Newport High School offer alternative meal arrangements)

Pembrokeshire £2.70

Torfaen £2.60. The council says in its website that its secondary menu operates in Abersychan, Cwmbran High and Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw only. Other high schools have their own caterers.

Blaenau Gwent £2.80

Monmouthshire £2.50

Gwynedd £2.80

Conwy £3.30

Wrexham £2.65

Flintshire £2.35 to £2.50 depending on high schools

Neath Port Talbot £2.70 for meal of the day

Merthyr £2.70

Ceredigion The council says on its website "please note that secondary schools operate an in-house catering service, therefore, further details can be obtained by contacting the schools directly'. Ysgol Penglais, as an example, says on its website a main meal there at lunch costs £2.40

Denbighshire £2.95 per day

Vale of Glamorgan Catering in the Vale is now delivered by the council's trading company Big Fresh. School canteens list lunches as around £2.65

Check your child's eligibility for free school meals

Free school meals are available to children who attend school full-time. This includes sixth form school pupils. A pupil may be able to get free school meals if their parent receives one or more of the following:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (as long as parents do not also get Working Tax Credit and their annual income is £16,190 or less before tax)
  • Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for four weeks after parents stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
  • Universal Credit (as long as the annual net earned household income is less than £7,400, not including benefits).

The local authority where they go to school (not where they live) provides the free school meal and assesses the eligibility.

Data released by the Welsh Government in July 2024 show :

  • There were 81,316 pupils (21.3%) aged five to 15 known to be eligible for FSM at January 2024, down from 85,057 pupils (22.2%) at January 2023.
  • There were 90,108 pupils (19.3%) of all ages known to be eligible for FSM at January 2024, down from 95,187 pupils (20.3%) at January 2023.

Primary meal offer

  • The new school term marks completion of the roll-out of Universal primary free school meals. Wales has become the first UK nation to offer free school meals to all primary pupils in maintained schools.
  • The Welsh Government began the rollout in September 2022.
  • £260m, which includes £60m capital, was made available to implement the policy.
  • Nearly 30 million meals have been served across Wales since its launch.
  • 176,000 pupils are now newly eligible for UPFSM across Wales.