Free School Meals - Who can claim?

Free school meals are available to eligible pupils who attend school full-time. This includes:

• Younger children who attend nursery for full days
• Sixth form school pupils

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any 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
• Guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• to 31 March 2019, Universal Credit – This was done as a temporary measure, pending the development of new eligibility criteria
• from 1 April 2019, Universal Credit - provided your household has an annualised net earned income (Net earned income is defined as household income after taxes and deductions. It does not include income from Universal Credit or other benefits) of no more than £7,400 ( as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)

If your children receive Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance in their own right, they could also be able to receive free school meals. 

For children/young people to be eligible to receive free school meals: 

• you, as a parent, or your child, must receive the relevant benefit or support payment 
• you should have submitted an application for free school meals to the local authority (or an application should have been submitted on your behalf)
• the application should have been approved by the local authority, or documents should have been seen by the local authority which strongly indicate your child is eligible.

To apply click here