Free School Meals

Information on who can get free school meals and how to apply.

Families of children and young people in full-time education at any school maintained by Leicestershire County Council may be entitled to claim free school meals, providing they receive a qualifying benefit. The current criteria for claiming free school meals are as follows: 

• Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based). 
• Income Support (IS). 
• Employment and Support Allowance (Income Based). 
• Child Tax Credit, provided the annual taxable income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue is not in excess of £16,190. 
• Families who also receive an award of Working Tax Credit do not qualify to claim free school meals. 
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit. 
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. 
• Children who receive Income Support (IS) or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance in their own right are also entitled to receive free school meals. 

Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax and not including any benefits you get. 

From 1st May 2009 where a parent has been entitled to Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after their employment ceases, or after they start to work less than 16 hours per week, they will be eligible to claim free school meals over that period. Claimants MUST complete a hard copy application form and send it to us with a copy of their Tax Credit Decision Notice, which will be issued immediately by HMRC to a claimant who has notified them that they have stopped working. Applications will not be accepted without this document and free school meals authorisation will not be granted prior to the date of application, or extended beyond the end date shown on the Tax Credit Decision Notice. In order to qualify for free school meals after that date the claimant will need to be in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits listed in the previous section, and evidence of this provided. No other benefits qualify for free school meals. 

Applying for Free School Meals is easy, you can: 

•  Apply online by clicking here. 
• Email on freeschoolmeals@leics.gov.uk
• You can download the Leciestershire County Council's  Free School Meals Application Form. 
• Request an application form on 0116 3056588 or 0116 3057093 
• Apply via telephone on 0116 3056588 or 0116 3057093 
• Postal address is: School Food Support Service, Room 400, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8RB. 
• You only need to apply for free school meals once, your eligibility will then be checked on a 4 weekly basis via the central benefit records database. 
• If after this check of eligibility it is found that you are no longer eligible we will write to you requesting to see proof of the benefits you are receiving, types of benefit proof accepted are detailed in the links below: 

Infant free school meals in England

Your child will be able to get free school meals if they’re in a government-funded school and in:

• reception class
• year 1
• year 2

Tell us if you also get any of the qualifying benefits. Your child’s school can get extra funding if you do.

Find out if you qualify for Free School Meals:
To check your eligibility and apply online please visit your local authority’s website by clicking here.   

If you think that your child may be eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), we encourage you to apply, even if your child does not want to eat the food at school as this can help your child in other ways and it is something that benefits our school community. Further details about Free School meals and pupil premium funding here.