Dear Parents and Carers,
Free School Meals Support
The current pandemic has posed many challenges to our community in terms of health, wellbeing and also finance. It is in regard to finance that I would like to draw your attention to the information below which explains free school meal entitlement. If your financial circumstances have changed, your child may be eligible for free school meals at Grace College. Details of how to apply for this are included below.
Who can get a free school meal?
Your child will qualify for free school meals if you meet the following criteria:
- you or your partner receive child benefit (for the child you are applying for), and
- the child is in full time education, under 19 years of age, and
- the child attends a local authority school or sixth form (but not a sixth form college). This still applies even if your child is presently unable to attend school because of the COVID-19 restrictions on schools being open.
You and your partner must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA – IB)
- Guarantee Pension Credit
- Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA Income Related)
- Child Tax Credit – but not Working Tax Credit – and your income for Tax Credit purposes must be less than £16,190.00 (details are shown on your Tax Credit award notice)
- Working Tax Credit Run-on
- Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Universal Credit and your net earned family income is less than £7,400.
Receipt of one of the above benefits will be checked with the relevant government departments (HMRC, DWP and Home Office) and this may be done via the Eligibility Checking Service. By signing the declaration on the application form, you are giving your consent for Gateshead Council to check your eligibility through this service.
To apply please go to the following link: https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/7433/Free-school-meals
If your application is successful the College will be informed by Gateshead Council and your child/children’s allowance will be added as soon as possible. The allowance is currently £2.10 per day which is automatically added to their lunch account each morning, this allowance does not roll over to the next day if not used. If you are eligible, your child will remain eligible until at least 31st March 2022 regardless of whether your financial circumstances change in this time.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact fsm@gracecollege.org.uk and we will do our best to support you with your application.
Your sincerely,
Miss J Smith
Finance Manager
