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Free school meals for eligible pupils in North Ayrshire

Children eating lunch in a school canteen

North Ayrshire Council is encouraging families to take up the offer of free school meals for primary and secondary school pupils if they are eligible to do so.

All primary school pupils between Primary 1 and Primary 5 are eligible for free school meals. Children in Primary 6 and Primary 7 are also eligible if their families are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.

In August 2025 we further expanded provision to include those learners in S1 – S3 whose families are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.

Quote: Our nutritious free school meals can save families almost £400 per year for every child or young person, while also having health benefits and supporting attainment. The provision of free school meals remains an important element of North Ayrshire Council’s strategic ambitions to reduce child poverty and improve wellbeing. Currently, the Scottish Government’s free school meal provision covers all Primary 1 to Primary 5 pupils, as well as expanded provision for children in Primary 6 and 7 if their parent or caregiver is in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment. North Ayrshire Council is pleased to be one of eight pilot local authorities to have received temporary funding to now include free school meals for S1 to S3 school pupils in all nine of our secondary schools, meaning that even more young people across North Ayrshire can have access to a free meal during term time. Funding has been provided for one school year; therefore, this temporary provision will run from the current school term until Tuesday 30 June 2026. A data sharing agreement has been put in place to ensure all eligible young people are auto-enrolled into the expanded free school meal provision. As the Scottish Child Payment is already helping families who may be struggling during the ongoing Cost-of-Living crisis, this next phase of the free school meals roll-out can help more parents and carers with the weekly challenge of making ends meet as pupils get access to healthy and nutritious food for free in their own school.

Quote from: Councillor Shaun Macaulay, Cabinet Member for Education and Young People

The plans are part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to reduce child poverty as well as to promote healthy eating.

North Ayrshire uses the iPayimpact system for school meals (whether you pay or get free school meals) and the school shop.

Parents and carers can sign up for an iPayimpact account to manage their child/young person’s account, place orders and view transactions. Credit is applied daily to all eligible iPayimpact accounts to access a meal deal.

The system allows you to pre-order from home (for primary schools) or have access to the Fusion app for the secondary school's pre-order service. For more details about iPayimpact – visit this link.

Don’t forget that iPayimpact is the also the system used by schools for trips, lessons or other purchases for educational purposes.

For iPayimpact queries or for help registering for an account send an email to the team.

If you need help with the cost of living, support is available.

Money Smart provides Welfare Rights assistance and representation to North Ayrshire residents to ensure they receive their legal entitlement to state benefits.

Published: 13 October 2025

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