School Meals - Sept 2024
Universal Free School Meals
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools in England are eligible for free school meals.
Please inform your school if you do not wish to receive this offer, otherwise your child will automatically be opted in to the free school meal.
We recommend that all parents in reception year 1 & 2 do still apply for FREE SCHOOL MEALS via the application below.
Free School Meals
Eligibility
You can get free school meals if your child attends a local authority maintained school (not private) and you receive one of the following:
- Income Support (IS)
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)
- An income-related employment and support allowance
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Child Tax Credit (provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income (as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed the current year’s level
- the Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after your employment finished, or after you start to work less than 16 hours per week.
- Universal Credit, provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 (£616.67 per month) )
Additionally:
- You, as the parent or guardian, must Receive Child Benefit for the child you are responsible for.
- Children who receive IS or IBJSA in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals.
- Children who receive “education suitable for children who have not attained compulsory school age” will still need to satisfy the additional requirement of “receiving education both before and after the lunch period”, before being eligible to receive free school meals.
Apply
You do not need to re-apply for free school meals every year unless your circumstances change.
Change in circumstance
If your or your child’s circumstances change free school meals may be withdrawn, the most common reasons include:
- The parent or guardian ceases to receive a qualifying benefit
- The child leaves school
- The family move out of the borough
- The child goes onto packed lunches (long term)
- The child is absent from school for a long period of time
All changes of circumstance must be reported by the benefit claimant (schools can also report changes of circumstance).
Primary schools and special schools
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools in England are eligible for free school meals.
Please inform us if you do not wish to receive this offer, otherwise your child will automatically be opted in to the free school meal.
The school meal service offers all primary and special schools with a multi choice menu. A school meal costs £2.90.
