Free school meals

You can claim free school meals for a child who lives with you and who you are responsible for.

Your child is eligible for Free School Meals if you get one or more of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income related Employment Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit as long as you have a yearly household income of less than £16,190 (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) and do not get Working Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit run- on (paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Pupil's protected from losing free school meals

From Tuesday 1 April 2025, the Government's transitional protection arrangements for income-based free school meals will end. Any eligible claims that begin on or after this date will no longer be protected and free meals will end if you no longer qualify.

Those already confirmed as eligible will maintain their eligibility until the end of their current phase of education. At that point, they will be re-assessed for their eligibility status. This will apply to all year 6 moving into year 7 in September 2025.

Infant free school meals

If your child attends a state funded infant school and is in Key Stage 1 (reception, year 1 or year 2), they are entitled to ‘universal infant free school meals’ regardless of your income. Please contact your child’s school to tell them you would like to have ‘universal infant free school meals’.

Parents of infants who receive the qualifying benefits

You can apply for free school meals if you think you might be entitled, because your school gets up to £1,320 additional funding (Pupil Premium) to support your child’s education and can help to buy new equipment and resources. This money is only paid if you apply for free school meals and are confirmed to be entitled.

For all claims that are successful, the school will be notified.

Please note we do not process claims for the following schools. If your child attends one of these schools, you need to contact the school directly. We also do not process claims for children attending college.

• Coleridge Primary School, Coleridge Road Eastwood
• Eastwood Village Primary School, , Eldon Road, Eastwood
• East Dene Primary School, Doncaster Road, East Dene
• Redscope Primary School, Kimberworth Park Road

CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES

If your circumstances change, the easiest way to notify us of this is to submit a new application. For example, if you move house or change schools then a new application will allow us to assess your circumstances and confirm any change to entitlement.