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General Information
We want as many pupils as possible to attend lessons with a full stomach. This applies to children in primary and secondary schools where at least 30% of the pupils come from low-income households. This information can be found in the reports of the National Education Cohort Study (NCO).
Schools are therefore an important partner in the implementation of this programme.
Registering school
Registration for the programme and the choice of the form of assistance is done through the schools. Parents/caregivers cannot register themselves.
Want to register your school? Click the button below.
When registering your school, you need to know whether you choose the option ‘Eating at School‘ or ‘Grocery Card‘.
Do you want to change your programme choice over time? This is possible under certain conditions, in consultation with the School Meals Programme. Send an email to [email protected].
Criteria
The School Meals Programme focuses on primary and secondary schools in which at least 30% of the students come from a low‑income household. To determine which schools fall within this target group, we use the NCO report. This report shows the percentage of students from families with relatively low incomes. Starting in 2025, the NCO will switch to a new methodology. In this new report, this percentage will no longer be included. Therefore, we will continue using the 2024 NCO report until we have developed a new criterion. Our aim is to include income data again in the new reports from 2027 onwards. Important:
- Download the 2024 NCO report before 31 December 2025 via https://mijn.nationaalcohortonderzoek.nl — after this date, the reports will be permanently deleted. This report is temporarily required to participate in the School Meals Programme.
- SBO, VSO, PRO, and SO schools do not need an NCO report to register. They qualify based on already‑known data.
- More information about the new reports can be found at https://www.nationaalcohortonderzoek.nl/nieuwe-werkwijze-rapportages
Do I need to re-register every year?
Schools that registered and were admitted in 2023 and 2024 do not need to resend their NCO reports. Their participation continues until the end of the programme.
3. Selection
Once your school is registered, the programme team will process the application. We check whether your school meets the conditions. If approved, you will receive a confirmation of participation
Each school must register per location:
- Primary and secondary schools must upload one or more NCO reports in the registration form;
- Special primary, secondary, practical, and special education schools do not need an NCO report to register. They are all eligible for participation in the programme based on already known data;
- New and temporary schools do not yet have an NCO report. Contact us via the contact form;
For secondary schools with a broad educational community with multiple educational levels, the following applies:
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- Eating at School: the school can only request a budget for pupils of the educational level that falls within the target group. The budget can be spent on all educational levels, but it is not necessary. When organising, consider avoiding stigmatisation.
- Grocery Cards: these are intended for all pupils of the school who need them. The Red Cross conducts an additional check based on a questionnaire completed by the parents/caregivers. This ensures that the grocery cards reach the pupils who need them most. There is no restriction on the educational level.
4. How can I help pupils if my school does not qualify for the School Meals Programme?
If your school does not qualify for participation in the programme, but many pupils could benefit from extra food, contact us via the contact form [link]. We will see if we can do something else for them.
5. Questions?
More information for parents/caregivers can be found on this page.
Do you have any questions as a school or would you like to get in touch? Click here for the contact form.
