During the current circumstances we are in, some parents/carers may now qualify for Free School meals (FSM).

The eligibility criteria for FSM are shown below:

Parent/carers who are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits will usually be eligible to claim FSM for their children:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Pension Credit Guarantee Credit (PCGC)
• Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on. This is paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit  (WTC) (please contact us on 01782 236813 if this applies)

Also During the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Government are temporarily extending free school meals eligibility to include some groups who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF), including:

• children of Zambrano carers
• children of families with no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
• children of families receiving support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction

These groups are also subject to a maximum household earnings threshold of £7,400 per annum.

The Government is also temporarily extending free school meal eligibility to children of a subset of failed asylum seekers supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

This group is not subject to any maximum household earnings threshold.

This extension is temporarily in place due to the current unique circumstances. It covers both children who are attending school and children who are at home. 

Applications during Covid 19 can be made by in the following ways:

Parents/carers who believe they may be eligible can request a form from the school which can be emailed and sent back to the school, who will then forward it to the FSM Team.

The school can complete a form for a parent/carer via telephone and then forward this to the FSM team.

Parents/carers can complete a form with the FSM team via telephone on 01782 236813.