Free School Meals?
Are you eligible for Free School Meals?
The school receives extra funding, known as the Pupil Premium, to support students who are eligible for Free School Meals. It is estimated that around 20% of the students that are entitled to Free School Meals do not take them.
Your child might be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after the 1st April 2018 your household income must be less than £7400 per year
Children, who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, may also get free school meals.
Working Tax Credit
If you are in receipt of any Working Tax Credit you will not be eligible to apply for Free School Meals
Unsure if you are eligible for free school meals?
| IF I GET? | DO WE GET FREE MEALS? |
|---|---|
| Child Tax Credit Household income above £16,190) |
No |
| Child Tax Credit Household income below £16,190) |
Yes |
| Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit |
No |
| Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit on a four week run on | Yes |
| Working Tax Credit Household income below £16,190) |
No |
| No Tax Credits but oncome is below £16,190 | No – you need to be getting one of the benefits listed above |
If you are still unsure if you qualify, the Brighton and Hove FSM Team can undertake an online check in complete confidence. To discover your eligibility, simply contact the team on freeschoolmeals@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call 01273 293497.
Alternatively, you can do a check yourself! Visit https://pps.lgfl.org.uk/ and follow the link to ‘check eligibility’.
- Click on the blue ‘proceed’ button.
- Select ‘Brighton and Hove’ and ‘Patcham High School’.
- If you agree to their privacy notice, you can enter your surname, National Insurance number and Date of Birth.
…you will then receive an instant notification as to whether you are eligible or not! If you are eligible, you should then complete the Brighton and Hove application here: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/contact-council/apply-free-school-meals
As soon as this is processed, we will arrange for the FSM payments to go onto your child’s account daily to enable them to purchase food in the canteen.
If you have any further questions or you would like any support with a FSM application, please contact Jayne Newman on jnewman@patchamhigh.org.uk or on (01273) 503908.