Free School Meals
Many families could get free school meals but don’t claim for them.
Your child may be entitled to free school meals if:
your annual income is less than £16,190; and
- you claim Child Tax Credit (*Not Including Working Tax Credit)only; and
- your child is attending a Sandwell School (if your child(ren) doesn’t attend a Sandwell School, you will need to apply to the Local Authority which your child(ren) school is in)
Your child may also qualify for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Universal Credit ** your household income must be less than £7,400 a year as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods (after tax and not including any benefits you get) Your net earned income is your household income after taxes and deductions and does not include income from Universal Credit or any other benefits you may receive.
- Employment and Support Allowance (income related)
- Guaranteed Pension Credit (including Child Tax Credit)
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- support from the National Asylum Support Service.
**You may be asked to provide supporting evidence if you receive Universal Credit, for example a copy of your Universal Credit Statement(s)
Please note – If your child is eligible or becomes eligible for free school meals at any time before 31 March 2023, they will remain eligible until this date or beyond dependent on what school phase (see below) they are in. You will not need to apply for Free School Meals again if you are already eligible at a Sandwell School.
The easiest way to apply for free school meals is online, just go to https://www.sandwell.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals and fill in a few details and Sandwell Council will get back to you.
If you live outside of the Sandwell Borough, please contact your local council to ask about how to apply for school meals.