Parents don't have to pay for school lunches if they receive 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
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue & Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
- Working Tax Credit 'run-on' - the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
Entitlement to Free School Meals could gain your school extra funding through the Pupil Premium
In most cases you cannot claim Free School meals if:
-
You or your partner jointly work 24 hours or more a week, with one of you working at least 16 hours or more OR
-
You are a single parent and you work 16 hours or more each week
Children who receive Income Support or income-based Job Seeker's Allowance in their own right qualify as well.
You can contact the free school meals team in several ways:
Other ways to contact us