You could save up to £400 a year with free school meals for your child.
School meals can also save you time and provide peace of mind that your child is enjoying a healthy, fresh, and nutritious meal at lunchtime. Some of the benefits are listed below:
- Meals are packed full of goodness, with at least two of your child’s five-a-day.
- They help to develop your children’s social skills and table manners.
- Evidence demonstrates that regular consumption of school dinners can improve educational attainment.
- They save you time! No shopping for sandwiches or preparing packed lunches.
- You get peace of mind knowing your child is getting a healthy nutritious cooked meal.
School meals are free for reception, year 1 and year 2 – why do I still need to apply for a free school meal?
This protection will apply until your child leaves primary school, so applying even whilst your child is receiving Universal Infant Free School meals is important, it might save you years of future costs!
Who qualifies for Free School Meals?
Free school meals are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of,
one or more of the following benefits:
- 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
- The guarantee 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
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 get free school meals, but if you receive one of the benefits listed above you should still apply for a free school meal as you may also get help with:
- the cost of residential school trips (speak to your school about this).
- travel costs to school. See our school travel page for help with travel to school.
- music lessons at school. The lessons must be provided by Barnsley Music Service to qualify.
- free school milk.