Free School Meals - Are you eligible?

FREE SCHOOL MEALS – ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

Qualifying benefits for free school meals

Your child will be entitled to free school meals if you get any of these benefits:

●      income support

●      income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

●      income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

●      support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

●      the guaranteed element of Pension Credit

●      Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)

●      Working Tax Credit run-on, paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

●      Universal Credit with annual take home pay/met earnings below £7,400 (which equals £616.67 per month) benefits not included

How to apply

Free school meals entitlement is for the child, not the family, so you will need to apply for each child.

If you are changing schools within North Somerset, do not reapply, please email fsm@n-somerset.gov.uk so they can transfer your entitlement.

If you are moving into North Somerset from another area you will need to apply to North Somerset Council and do a referral.

You will need your National insurance number to apply.

If you are eligible

If you are eligible for free school meals, your entitlement will begin on the day you apply and will last until the end of the school phase your child is in as at 31 March 2022. You will not have to reapply during this time.

You will be able to download an eligibility letter. If you are applying during the school holidays North Somerset Council will notify school for you. If you are applying during term time, you’ll need to show school the letter to get your free meals.

As WCSA uses a biometric system for payment, children claiming free school meals are not identifiable to other students.

If your application isn’t successful

If your application isn’t successful, check your National Insurance number and try again. If this doesn’t work, select the ‘referral’ button and let North Somerset Council know what benefits you are on and they will ask you for evidence.

When to reapply

Due to the roll out of Universal Credit, all pupils that are currently eligible for free school meals will continue to be eligible for free school meals until the end of the school stage they are in on 31 March 2022.

If your child moves from primary to secondary school before 31 March 2022, you should not reapply but you do need to confirm your change of school by emailing fsm@n-somerset.gov.uk in the summer holidays before they start secondary school so they can transfer your entitlement to the correct school. Please do not reapply as you may lose your eligibility.

If your child changes school or address before 31 March 2022, email fsm@n-somerset.gov.uk so they can update your free school meals record.