Apply now for free school meals
If you have two children and you qualify for free school meals you could save £721.50 over the year. The approval of your free school meals application may mean you also get financial help with music tuition and with curriculum related residential trips or school visits. Apply now!
Am I eligible for free school meals?
To apply for free school meals for your child, you must live in Newcastle and be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related employment and support allowance (E.S.A.)
- support under part VI of the Immigrations and Asylum Act 1999
- guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
- where you are entitled to Working Tax Credit during the four-week period immediately after your employment finishes or after you start to work less than 16 hours per week
Children who receive a qualifying benefit in their own right are also eligible to claim free school meals, and should complete the form appropriately.
How do I apply?
The person receiving the benefit should complete the application. Click here to apply for free school meals.
Newcastle City Council
Student Services, Room 308
Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8PU
Email: student.info@newcastle.gov.uk
When do I apply?
You can claim free school meals for children up to the age of 19 if they attend a school sixth form full time. (They must be under 19 on 1 September.) An application cannot be backdated.
What happens next?
We will check your eligibility for free school meals on local and national benefits systems.
Sometimes we may need more information before we can make a decision. If this is the case, we will contact you to ask you to provide this.
We will write to tell you the outcome of your application and what date your child’s free school meals will start. We will also let the school know.
Successful claims will start from the nearest Monday from the date we receive your application or the date handed in at a school, providing we can confirm proof of benefit.
If your claim is unsuccessful and you think it has been wrongly assessed, please write to the Head of Access, Children’s Services Directorate, Newcastle City Council, Civic Centre, Newcastle NE1 8PU or phone 0191 211 5346.
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