Free School Meals
Primary school children
The Mayor of London has introduced universal free school meals for the 2023/2024 academic year for all primary school children regardless of income.
However, we still need you to apply for free meals if you are receiving tax credits or benefits. This will allow your child’s school to claim important extra funding that will benefit your child.
Schools get extra funding, known as the ‘Pupil Premium’, for every child registered as eligible for a free school meal if their parents are receiving benefits. Schools use this money for activities such as art therapy, booster classes, educational trips, and after-school clubs.
Please note only children entitled to pupil premium funding are entitled to school holiday supermarket vouchers.
School nursery and secondary school children
Parents of children attending school nursery, or a secondary school in Hackney will have to pay for school meals unless they are receiving qualifying benefits.
To qualify, your child must be in school and you must be receiving one of the following benefits:
- Income support
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance
- NASS support
- Guarantee element of State Pension
- 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 for the four weeks after employment ends
- Universal Credit, provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400
Pupil Premium
When your child starts school and you meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals, we can claim the Pupil Premium funding from the Department of Education to help your child learn. You should apply for this funding by registering to apply online for Pupil Premium within Hackney Citizens Portal in the same way as applying for free school meals.
Eligibility
It doesn’t matter where you live as long as your child goes to school in Hackney. To qualify, your child must be in school and you must be getting one of the following benefits:
- Income support
- Income based Job Seekers Allowance
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance
- NASS support
- Guarantee element of State Pension
- Child Tax Credit, with an income of £16,190 or less where the household is not getting Working Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit for the four weeks after employment ends.
A child over 16 getting any of these benefits is also eligible to receive free school meals.
Asylum seekers
To qualify for free school meals, asylum seekers must provide their:
- IND letter
- IND card
- Social services letter or NASS letter
How to apply
If your child attends a school in Hackney, you must apply by completing an application form. You only have to apply once. We will check your entitlement against information held by the Department for Education on a regular basis so that you don’t have to renew your application every year or provide proof of your entitlement.
You will need to first register to apply online for Free School Meals / Pupil Premium within Hackney Citizens Portal
The Hackney Citizens Portal is the quickest way to apply for free school meals/pupil premium and confirm your eligibility.
After you have completed your application you will receive an email to confirm your eligibility, this you can take to the school. We will also send out a notification to the school of your child’s FSM and Pupil Premium eligibility.
If your child attends a school in another borough, you will have to make enquiries at the school to find out how you apply for free school meals.
