Free School Meals
Your child could get a free school meal if you receive any of the following:
From year 3 onwards your children could get free lunches at school if you are receiving one of the benefits below:
- 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 Guarantee element of State 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’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit – if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get) at the time of your application. If your income goes above the threshold in the future, but you remain on Universal Credit, your child will still be eligible (see below). If you applied before 1 April 2018 there was no household income threshold for Universal Credit claimants.
You can apply to Hertfordshire County Council if:
- Your child attends a Hertfordshire school full-time. Even if you live in Essex you still have to apply through Hertfordshire.
- You attend a Hertfordshire school full-time and are in receipt of any of the qualifying benefits above
How will applying help you and your child?
- School dinners provide a healthy, nutritious and tasty meal
- Research suggests that a healthy school dinner may improve concentration level
- Menus are changed often and can be viewed online on the School Website (www.tbshs.org )
- Local produce is used whenever possible
- Use of the Cashless Catering system in School ensures that Free School meal information is entirely confidential
Don’t miss out, apply now!
Applying for free school meals in Hertfordshire has never been easier or faster! We recommend you apply online at www.hertsdirect.org/freeschoolmeals
The benefits of applying online
- It’s quick and easy to do – most online applications take about ten minutes to complete. Please make sure you have your national insurance number to hand.
- It can be done whenever it suits you, with no need for face-to-face or telephone contact
- In most cases, you won’t have to provide paper proof of benefit
- You won’t have to reapply for free school meals every year
- Your child will get their free school meals without delay
- You can apply for other benefits that you may qualify for at the same time
If you do not have access to the internet at home, you can obtain access and support at any of the following locations:
- Public Libraries
- UK Online Centres
- TBSHS School
Please note
Applications must be made in the name of the person who is receiving the qualifying benefit, or there may be a delay in processing the application.
If your application is accepted, you will be notified immediately. Your child’s school will also be advised to ensure the free school meal is provided straight away.
For more information or assistance with your application Visit www.hertsdirect.org/freeschoolmeals Or Call the customer service centre on 0300 123 4048 (8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm Saturday).
