Free School Meals

All infant school children, (Reception, Y1 and Y2) have been entitled to free school meals since September 2014.

If your infant child would have been entitled to free school meals under the old system, because you are receiving qualifying benefits (see below), the government will give your school a Pupil Premium of £1,385 for primary-aged pupils.

For the school and your child to benefit from this money, please complete the claim form which is available online by following the link:

Wiltshire Council website - Wilshire Council Free School Meals Form

Eligibilty

Free school meals are available to eligible children that attend school within Wiltshire, on a fulltime basis. This includes nursery children (of compulsory school age) who attend school fulltime and sixth form students (but not college or Further Education level students).

Wiltshire Council are now able to check entitlement to free school meals via a secure government website, which links to your benefit providers. However, if the eligibility checking service (ECS) has not been able to verify your entitlement, they will then need to contact you to ask for evidence to show you are currently in receipt of one of the eligible benefits.

Claims can not be backdated. The date of entitlement is the date that they confirm your eligibility, using the ECS or paperwork supplied, and successfully process your application

You must be in receipt of one of the benefits shown below to be eligible for free school meals for your child or children -

• Income support
• Income - based Job Seekers Allowance (not contribution based JSA)
• Income - related Employment and Support Allowance (not contribution based ESA)
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 - National Asylum Seekers Support (NASS)
• The guarantee element of the State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (you must not be entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190 (April 2012))
• Working Tax Credit 'run - on' - the payment you receive for a further four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit. If you currently receive Working Tax Credit (other than the 'run-on') you are not eligible to claim.
• 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)