Healthy school food can help pupils build healthy habits for life and improve their readiness to learn. If you’re receiving a qualifying benefit, your child can get a free school meal every day that they are at school, studying in further education, or at a sixth form college.
Apply for free school meals
To apply for free school meals, please call us on 0300 300 8306.
Please have the following information ready:
- National Insurance numbers and dates of birth for you and your partner
- dates of birth for your children
- your NASS number if you receive support from the National Asylum Support Service
Qualifying benefits for free school meals
The qualifying benefits for free school meals are:
- Universal Credit (if your annual net earned income is no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (if you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and your annual gross income is no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
If you’re not getting a qualifying benefit, your child can still get a free school meal whilst they’re in reception, year 1 and year 2. You don’t need to apply for these.
Universal free school meals and the pupil premium
Applying for free school meals will also raise extra money for your child’s school, to fund valuable support like additional teaching staff or after-school activities. This ‘pupil premium’ is available from the government for every child who is eligible for free school meals based on a qualifying benefit, but it is only paid if you actually apply for free school meals for your child.
If your child is in reception, year 1 or year 2, please apply for free school meals if you are getting a qualifying benefit. Your child’s school won’t receive pupil premium funding unless you apply.
Students in further education and sixth form
If your child is aged 16 to 18 and attends a further education or sixth form college, please contact the college for information about free school meals. If your child attends a school sixth form, please contact us to apply.
When do free school meals start?
In most cases we will be able to confirm whether your child is entitled to free school meals straight away. As soon as we confirm that you qualify, we will inform your child’s school that their free school meals can start from the date you apply.
Your child can then get a free school meal every day from the standard menu at the school’s canteen or cafeteria. You only need to apply once, and your child’s free school meals will usually continue as long as they remain at the same school. We will contact you if there is any change to your entitlement.
Reporting a change in circumstances
You are responsible for informing us about any changes in your circumstances that might affect your child’s free school meals, such as:
- you no longer wish to receive free school meals
- a new partner joins your household
- you move house
- your child changes their name
- you change your name
- another child reaches the qualifying age for free school meals
- your child goes into care
- your child changes schools
- your child moves between parents and/or guardians
If you are in any doubt, please contact us at 0300 300 8306. Failing to report a change in circumstances could result in your child’s free school meals being stopped.