You may be entitled to receive free school meals.
Who is eligible?
You may be eligible for free school meals if you receive any of the following benefits:
• Income Support
• Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Income-based Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit if your taxable income is less than £16,190 and you do not receive Working Tax Credit
• The Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• Support from the National Asylum Support Service
If you receive Working Tax Credit you are not eligible to claim for free school meals unless:
• you have stopped work in the last four weeks; or
• you have reduced your hours to less than 16 hours a week in the last four weeks
Any pupils receiving Income Support or Income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance in their own right are also eligible for free school meals.
How to apply
Parents/carers must now apply for Free School Meals online using the form on the Citizens Portal.
In order to use the Citizens Portal, parents/carers must have their own email address and create an account.
Access the Citizens Portal here:
The attached user guide gives detailed instructions for parents/carers using the Citizens Portal.
If you have any queries about using the Citizens Portal or any support, please contact the Free School Meals team on 020 7527 3196 or 020 7527 5483.
The importance of free school meals
Applying for free school meals is very important because the amount of money that COLAHH receives from central government depends on the number of children registered as entitled to free school meals. For every registered child, the academy receives additional funding to spend on extra resources such as extracurricular activities and support for its pupils. This is called the ‘Pupil Premium’.
The government has also stated that it is keen for universities to actively recruit pupils that have previously received free school meals so it is important that those eligible for free school meals do register for them.
Further information
For further information please visit the Islington Council website or contact the Free School Meals Team on 020 7527 5483 or 020 7527 3196.