Your child will get a free school meal if they go to a government-funded (not private) school and are in:
- year 3
- year 4
- year 5
- year 6
Secondary School
To get free school meals if your child is in year 7 or above, you must get one of these benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit – if you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and your yearly income, before tax, is less than £16,190
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you have a yearly income after taxes of less than £7,400 (as assessed by earnings from up to 3 of your most recent assessment periods)
You can also apply if your child is aged 16 to 18 and goes to:
- general further education colleges, including specialist colleges
- sixth-form colleges
- higher education institutions
Children or young people who get any of these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or carer, can also get free school meals and should apply.
School clothing grant
See the next page to check if your child is eligible for a one-off school clothing grant.