Who is entitled to free school meals?
Free school meals are not provided automatically. They can be awarded if you fall into one of the following categories:
- you receive Income Support;
- you receive Job Seeker's Allowance (income-based);
- you receive Employment and Support Allowance (income-related);
- you get support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
- you receive the guarantee credit element of Pension Credit; or
- you are entitled to Child Tax Credit, you do not get Working Tax Credit and your family's annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) is not more than £16,190 (as at 6 April 2011).
No one receiving Working Tax Credit is entitled to free school meals, regardless of their income, unless you have become unemployed, in which case free meals can be granted for a four-week period only.
Parents receiving Working Tax Credit for four weeks after their employment finishes are entitled to free school meals during that period. This also applies to parents who start working less than 16 hours per week.
Children who receive Income Support or income-based Job Seeker's Allowance in their own right qualify as well. All pupils who do not qualify for free school meals must be charged the same amount for the same quantity of the same item.
Free meals are available to eligible children that attend school within Wiltshire, on a full-time basis. This includes nursery children (of compulsory school age) who attend school full-time and sixth form students (but NOT college or Further Education level students). If you live in Wiltshire, but your child attends schools in another Local Authority area (for example Swindon), you should apply via that Local Authority.
Most applications for free school meals are processed by Wiltshire Council, but a number of schools administer their own applications. The school will advise you if this is the case.
A free school meals application form can be downloaded below or collected from the school.
Free school meals application form 57kb
The completed form can be returned to your child’s school. They will forward it to us on your behalf. Or, if you prefer, you can send it direct to:
Free School Meals,
Research
and Statistics
Team,
Dept for Children and Education,
Wiltshire Council,
County
Hall,
Trowbridge,
Wiltshire BA14 8JN
Contact Details (LiveLink)
Multiple Contacts:
eMail:
Telephone: 01225 713780
Out of hours:
Fax:
Postal Address:
Research and Statistics Team
Department for Children and Education
Wiltshire
Council
County Hall
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14
8JN
In Person:
DX:
Related links
Last updated: 30 August 2011
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