Is Your Child Entitled to Free School Meals?

Children whose parents receive the following support payments are entitled to receive Free School Meals in maintained schools in Wales:

• Income Support (IS)*
• Income Based Jobseekers Allowance (IBJSA)*
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Income-related Employment Support Allowance (IR)
• Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit with an annual total income below the HMRC set limit
• Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit.

*Children who receive IS or IBJSA in their own right are also eligible to receive free school lunches.

If you are eligible to receive free school meals it is very important to your child’s school that you apply. This registers the school for additional grant funding from Welsh Government.

If your child prefers to take a packed lunch or make other arrangements, it is still important to register for free school meals for your school to receive the additional funding. 

Please see further details on how to apply or contact the school office for further information and help applying for free school meals if you think you might be entitled. 

School funding is now very strongly linked to the number of children who take up the option of free school meals. Our individual school budget per pupil is £3,575 which compares to a maximum of £7,635 and a minimum of £2,660 for primary school in Wales. We desperately need to increase our entitlement especially in the light of cuts in education funding announced recently by Welsh Government.

This is where you can help….

If you are entitled to free school meals, but have not yet applied, you are not only missing out on the opportunity of some additional support, the school is also missing out on funding, £1,150 per pupil!