Free School Meals

Primary and Nursery Schools

Islington currently provides universal free school meals to all nursery and primary school pupils aged three and above if a Free School Meals Registration Form has been completed by their parent/carer.

Free school Meals Registration Forms are available from your child's school or can be downloaded from the link below.  Once fully completed and signed, they should be returned to the school.

Secondary Schools

You may be eligible for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income–based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit if your taxable income is less than £16,190 and you do not receive Working Tax Credit
• The Guarantee Element of State Pension Credit
• Support under Section VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

If you receive Working Tax Credit you are not eligible to claim for free school meals unless:

• you have stopped working in the last four weeks; or
• you have reduced your hours to less than 16 hours a week in the last four weeks

Any pupils receiving one of the above benefits in their own right are also eligible for free school meals.

Please note: all year 11 pupils who are applying for help from the 16-19 bursary fund (the new fund that replaced EMA) for when they start sixth form will need to complete a Free School Meals Application Form first.

Free School Meals Application Forms are available from your child’s school or can be downloaded from the link below. Once fully completed and signed, they should be returned to the school.

Why is it important to apply?

Applying for free school meals is very important because the amount of money that your child’s school receives from central government depends on the number of children registered as eligible for free school meals.  In 2012/13, schools will get an additional £600 of funding for every child registered as eligible for free school meals. This is called the ‘Pupil Premium’.

If you think you may be eligible, even if you do not wish your child to receive a free meal, we would encourage you to register so that your child’s school receives as much funding as possible to invest in the education of its pupils.

Further information

If your child attends a school in another borough, you should check with the local education authority or the school on how to apply for free school meals.

For more information please contact the Free School Meals Team on 020 7527 5483 or 020 7527 4336.