Free School Meals
Did you know... just registering your child for Free School Meals means the school gets much needed extra money to help fund your child’s education? Register now to make sure you don’t miss out. Please see the link at the bottom of the page and the attached letter for additional information.
Please note that this is not the same as the government funded Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) that all children in Reception to Year 2 receive.
Through Free School Meals the Government is giving money to schools to help children from lower income families do their very best. This funding is also called ‘Pupil Premium’. If you are registered for Free School Meals and your child then recieves Pupil Premium funding then you could also get help with the cost of school trips and cost of purchasing school uniform.
How does it work?
- First, check if you qualify – it is not just if you are unemployed, please look at the list below.
- Registering is really quick and easy – if you think you qualify, follow the link to register.
- If you want your child to have extra funding for things like uniform and trips and to continue to have a free, healthy meal at lunchtime once they are too old to receive UIFSM (Universal Infant Free School Meals) that’s great (saving you more than £350 a year), and extra benefits.
- If you don’t want your child to have the school meals they can continue to bring a packed lunch – as long as you qualify and are registered, the school still gets extra money.
No one will know that you are registered and it will not affect any other benefits you are claiming. Please talk to the office about registering your child today if you have any questions. Your enquiry will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence. Applications are now all made through an online system, if you need help with this then please speak to us.
Are you Eligible?
You may be eligible for free school meals if your child attends a state school, and you must be receiving one or more of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act, 1999
- Child Tax Credit, and your annual income is less than £16,190
- Guaranteed Pension Credit
- Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
- Working Tax Credit run-on
- Universal Credit, and your annual household income is £7,400 per annum (£616 per month) or less after tax, and not including any benefits.
If your child is currently receiving free school meals, and the above criteria no longer apply, your child’s eligibility is protected, and they will continue to receive free school meals until the end of the Universal Credit Roll Out. The Government has currently scheduled no earlier than July 2023 for the protection period to end. This could be longer and will depend on your child’s current year group.
Please submit an online application via this Citizen’s Portal to register your details and you will be kept updated. Applying for Free School Meals | Applying for Free School Meals | Worcestershire County Council
Are you submitting a brand new claim?
Please click on apply and include all your school age children in the application. The process for Nursery aged children will be launching soon.
Does your child already receive Free School Meals?
Please do not be concerned that applying online will affect current arrangements - all eligible families are protected until at least July 2023. We need your permission to communicate with you via email and portal messages, to do this, we need you to use the portal, enter your details and make an application. This will mean reapplying for free school meals for your child(ren) so we can communicate with you.
Further Support
Ready Steady Worcestershire provides holiday activities and food at Easter, Summer and Christmas holiday periods. Eligible benefits related Free School Meal Children can attend these activities free of charge. To find out more and apply for these places, please visit: Ready Steady Worcestershire.
The Worcestershire Virtual Family Hub has been developed to give you a range of different types of resources that are available to you online, on the phone or face to face that you can access directly yourself. To find out more, please visit: Worcestershire Virtual Family Hub.
Click on the link below to apply for Free School Meals: