Free School Meals

Universal Infant Free School Meals

From September 2014 all children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be entitled to receive a Free School Meal every day.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION

All children who are entitled to Free School Meals because of their family circumstances bring an additional £1300 into the school budget to support their learning experiences at school.  This money is known as Pupil Premium money and enables school to plan and support learning opportunities for these children.

If your child is entitled to free school meals anyway you still need to apply and register your entitlement otherwise school will not receive this additional funding.

A child is entitled to Free School meals if parents/carers are in receipt of any of the following benefits:

• Income support
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided they are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit that you applied for on, or after, 1 April 2018. As long as your household income is less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits

Children who receive these benefits themselves instead of through a parent or guardian can also qualify for free school meals.

Your child may qualify if you are an asylum seeker.

Children who are younger than the compulsory age for starting school but in full-time education can also get free school meals.

If you are in receipt of any of the above benefits please please apply online:   https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/sims-trafford

How long can children get free school meals for? 

Children who are eligible for free school meals now will be eligible for them until either:

• they finish school or
• if on 31 March 2022 they are still in school, until they finish the phase of schooling they are in (primary or secondary) – whichever is sooner.

Infant free school meals in England 

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can get free school meals whatever your income. If you do have one of the qualifying incomes (above) it will help the school if you tell them this so they can get extra funding.