If you do not currently have a Free School Meal claim in place and believe you could be eligible, please visit https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/free-school-meals to apply online.
School meals are provided free to all children in Reception to Year 2 under the government’s Universal Free School Meal legislation. However, if you are in receipt of certain benefits (see below), please contact the office as you might also be eligible for a uniform voucher and free school milk by applying for statutory free school meals.
For children in Years 3 to 6, school meals are £2.50 per day unless you are entitled to statutory free school meals. Please contact the school office if you are unsure of your eligibility for free school meals.
From September 2017, for all NEW, successful free school meal applications, your child will receive a uniform voucher. Please see the school office for more details.
Free school meals can be applied for online at
www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/free-school-meals
If you don’t have access to the internet or are unsure of how to apply, staff in the admin office will be happy to help you.
All payments for school meals are to be made online at ParentPay. Please visit their website at:
Please call into the school office if you need to activate your child’s ParentPay account and we will issue you with your login and password. If you need any help we will be more than happy to assist you.
Your child will be eligible for free school meals if you are receiving one of the following benefits or support:
- Universal Credit – If you apply on or after 1 April 2018, your annual net earned income must be no more that £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to 3 of your most recent assessment periods.
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax Credit and your annual income is below £16,190 (as worked out by HM Revenue & Customs)
- Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- parents receiving Working Tax Credit for four weeks after their employment finishes are entitled to free school meals during that period. This also applies to parents who start working less than 16 hours per week
Transitional Protection is introduced so that;
- From 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants will continue to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This will apply even if their earnings rise above the new threshold during that time
- In addition, any child gaining eligibility for free school meals after 1 April 2018 will be protected against losing free school meals during the Universal Credit rollout period.
- Once Universal Credit is fully rolled out, any existing claimants that no longer meet the above eligibility criteria at that point will continue to receive free school meals until the end of their current phase of education (i.e. primary or secondary)
Transitional Protection applies to all children whether eligible through legacy benefits or Universal Credit.
Transitional Protections are put in place on an individual child basis, not on a family basis.
This means that younger children will not become entitled to free school meals simply because their older sibling is in receipt of transitional protection. The younger child must meet the eligibility criteria at the time the application is made to become eligible for free school meals.
You are NOT entitled to free school meals if:
- you receive Working Tax Credit except where the ‘four week run-on’ applies as described above
Pupils are also entitled to claim free school meals in their own right if they are in receipt of any of the above benefits.
Nursery: to get free school meals your child must attend school both before and after the lunch period.
Children attending schools in another authority: for example, Rotherham, but you live in Doncaster; then you should apply to that Authority.
