Benefits for primary and secondary school pupils

Free meals are available to children attending publicly-maintained schools in Royal Greenwich, if parent(s) get one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
• Child Tax Credit (provided you do not receive Working Tax Credit and your annual income does not exceed £16,190)
• Pension Credit Guarantee and Child Tax Credit.
  

If your child attends a state school outside Royal Greenwich, you will have to apply to the local authority in which the school is located.

Different rules apply to academies. Academies are state-maintained but independently run schools in England.  They are not under local authority control. You need to speak to the academy to see what,  if any financial assistance, they might offer.

Please note, not all academies have the word 'academy' in their name. If in doubt, please contact the school to check if it has academy status.

Free milk

All nursery schools provide free milk for all children. Some primary and special schools also provide milk. If your child’s school provides milk, your child can get free milk if:

• you get Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• or your child is in a nursery class.

To claim, contact the headteacher or school administrator to let them know that you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.

How to apply

You will need to complete a pupil benefits application form. Please contact us for a copy or download one from this website.

Further information

Fully completed application forms will normally be processed within ten working days.

You must reapply for free school meals each year.

You must also inform the Pupil Benefits Team immediately if you:

• change address
• stop receiving any of the qualifying support payments or benefits
• change any other circumstance that might affect entitlement to free school meals.

If your child or children receives free school meals that they are not entitled to, you may be liable to repay the cost of all the meals that they have had.

If you have any queries regarding these guidelines please contact the Pupil Benefits Team.

On a term-by-term basis the information that you provide in your application will be shared with other sources, as allowed by law, to verify your entitlement

Applicants are advised that it is a criminal offence to knowingly make an untrue statement or other false representation to obtain a grant, contribution or other financial benefit from the Royal Borough.

We may use the information you have provided within the authority for the prevention and detection of fraud.