Educational Awards and Benefits Free School Meals

Description 

Free School Meals is a means tested benefit calculated on parental income. However if you receive Working Tax Credit or Disabled Working Tax Credit, or your income is above £13,910.00 you are not entitled to Free School Meals.

If your application is successful, free school meals are available from the day of application.

Eligibility

This is available to all Children in full-time education, whose parents or guardians are in receipt of:

Income Support

Income Based Job Seekers Allowance

Child Tax Credits whose annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) does not exceed £13,910

Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
or

Children who receive Income Support or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance in their own right

Children living in Barnsley but attending schools in Rotherham, Doncaster or Sheffield should apply to the authority where the school is situated

Children living in Rotherham, Doncaster or Sheffield but attending schools in Barnsley should apply to Barnsley.

The duty to provide a free school meal is conditional on a request being made by or on behalf of a pupil

Children whose parents or guardians are in receipt of Working Tax Credits and Disabled Working Tax Credits do not qualify for free school meals.

Procedure

How do you apply

You can apply for Free School Meals by contacting the Benefits and Taxation Division either in person or by telephone. You will be required to complete an application form giving information with regards to the child/children who you are applying for free school meals and the school which they attend. If you have children at more than one school you will need to complete a form for each school.

Proof of all income will be required along with proof of Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits.

Download an Application Form for Free School Meals

Help

For details of how to contact us, and Opening Hours
See Student Support - Enquiries

Distribution Points
Any of our local  Barnsley Connects Offices as shown in the link at the right hand side of the page.

How you can help

You can help by fully completing the application form, this means, you must fill in each section of the form. Each section starts with a question to help you decide if all the questions in that section are relevant to you. If you do not give us enough information or do not answer sections, we will return the form to you to complete. Use black ink to fill in the form. Do not use pencil. If you make a mistake, just cross it out and put the right answer next to it. Do not use correction fluid or tape.

Answer 'Yes' or 'No' questions by putting a tick in the relevant box. If you are picking an answer from a list of answers, put a tick in the relevant box. Do not put a cross in any other boxes.

Changes you have to tell us about
You need to tell us straightaway about any changes in your circumstances that could affect your benefit. These changes could include:

You or your partner stop or start getting Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance

Your partner's or your own state benefits change

Any of your children leave school or move to another address

You move this includes moving to a different flat or room in the same property

You must tell us about these changes in writing as soon as possible after the date the change happened. A telephone call is not enough.

Starting Work
If you start work your benefits will change, so you need to tell us immediately if you start a new job or, if already working, increase your normal hours, start working overtime, get a pay rise etc.

Leaflets
School Meals Service

Response Times/Next Steps
Free School Meals are available from the day of application.

Data Protection
We will use the information you give on the Free School Application Form and any supporting evidence you send us to process your claim for free school meals.

We will not give information about you to anyone else, or use information about you for other purposes, unless the law allows us to.

Barnsley Metropolitan Council is the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. Please ask if you would like to know more about what information we have about you, or the way that we use that information.

Frequently Asked Questions
Do I qualify for Free School Meals?
To quality for Free School Meals you must be in receipt of:

Income Support

Income based job seekers allowance

Child tax credits with an income (as assessed by Inland Revenue) of less than £13,910

Be supported via the Home Office under the National Asylum Support Service

You do not quality if you are in receipt of Working Tax Credits.

Do I qualify for Free School Milk?
You have to be registered as being entitled to receive Free School Meals (as above).

Do I qualify for Free Music Lessons?
You have to be registered as being entitled to receive Free School Meals (as above).

Why has my entitlement ended?
We have not been able to confirm your benefit entitlement. You need to re-apply.

Do I need to apply for my child starting school - my other children already get them?
Yes you need to apply for each child as and when they start school.

I have changed schools/address do I need to re-apply?
No (we change the details on system and inform schools - we also check benefit details).

Do you backdate claims ?
No, free school meals are available from the day of application.

Related Links:
Department for Work and Pensions

Websites
Welfare Rights Service

Additional Notes / Legislation

Section 201, The Education Act 2002Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999