Are you eligible?

Government funding for schools is increasingly based on factors such as free school meal eligibility; it is not just a matter of meal subsidy. Free school meal registration brings significant funding for the school to support your child's education in many other ways, through the Pupil Premium scheme and other budget funding factors. In the budget year 2022/23, each pupil eligible for free meals attracts an extra £1,385 in funding to the school (the extra is not ring-fenced to the individual pupils, but is a way of funding measures to increase attainment). We therefore encourage registering for free school meals if you meet any of the criteria laid out below. Registration is, of course, completely confidential.

Free school meals criteria:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and 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
• During the initial roll out of the benefit, Universal Credit
• Children who receive any of the qualifying benefits listed above in their own right are also eligible to receive free school meals

In addition, extra pupil premium funding is available for children of armed service personnel, as well as looked after children, or children adopted from care or who left care under a special guardianship order.

If you would like to register under any of these criteria, or have any questions, please contact Natalia Cadman at the Juniors on 01483 539033 or Jane Bennett at the Infants on 01483 570038. We will of course treat any information in complete confidence.