Free school meals
Find out if your child qualifies for free school meals.
Free school meals in primary schools
We offer every child in a ‘maintained’ primary (including infants and junior) school in Newham a free school lunch every day. The offer of free school meals is a Mayor's Promise.
A maintained school is one that is funded by the Government through a local authority. In Newham, we are the local authority. Academies and free schools are not maintained schools.
Read more about meals in primary schools.
Extra funding for your child's school
Even though primary schools offer a free school lunch every day, if you apply for a free school meal - and we agree your application - you can raise £1,300 for your child’s school. This extra money comes from the Government, and in the next school year the amount goes up to £1,320 per child.
Free school meals in secondary schools
Eligibility
Your child may receive free school meals if you get any of the following benefits:
- income support
- income-based jobseekers allowance
- income-related employment and support allowance
- support under immigration and asylum law
- the guarantee part of state pension credit
- child tax credit and you have an annual income of £16,190 before tax or less (whatever Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs* works out for you).
But you will need to apply for them.
Children who get any of the benefits in their own right, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
You cannot get free school meals for your child if:
- you (or your partner) receive working tax credit, unless
- you receive working tax credit in the four weeks immediately after your work ends
- you receive working tax
credits in the four weeks after you start work and you work less than 16 hours per week
- you (or your partner) is the child’s foster parent as arranged by a local authority.
Apply for free school meals
Apply for free school meals Make sure you have your National Insurance number to hand before you fill in the form.We use your National Insurance number to find out from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) whether or not you qualify for free school meals.
Note, the DWP will only tell us if you qualify. They will not give us any information about the benefits you receive.
Contact us
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Free school meals
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