Free School Meals
Universal Free School Meals.
Since September 2014 funding has been provided to enable schools to offer a free lunch to every Key Stage 1 and Foundation Stage (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2).
Pilot projects have found that universal free school meals can have significant benefits both for individual children and for the broader life of the school. Stockport Council fully supports the initiative and encourages families to take up the free lunch offer which will provide the children of Stockport with a healthy and nutritious meal.
Free School Meals.
Would My Children in Key Stage 2 (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6) Be Eligible for Free School Meals?
If you are in receipt of Income Support, Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance, Income related Employment Support Allowance or the Guarantee part of Pension Credit or if you have an annual income (as assessed by the HM Revenue and Customs) of less than £17,000 each year (but not Working Tax Credit) you should be eligible for Free School Meals.
Free School Meals could save you up to £400 per year for each child.
By applying for Free School Meals you could also trigger additional resources for your children’s school through the Pupil Premium. For every entitled child whose parent has registered, the school will receive over £3,000 to help children from lower income families. If you don’t want your child to have the free school meals they can continue with a packed lunch as normal but, as long as you qualify and are registered, if you are making a claim for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support the school will receive the additional funding.
How Do I Apply?
You can apply for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support from the Benefits homepage HERE.
If you do not need to claim Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support and only want to claim Free School Meals then you should fill in an online claim form.
You should also make a claim online if you are already receiving Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support and one of your children starts full-time nursery or school maintained by the Local Authority.
Access the Free School Meals online claim form HERE.
