If you get certain benefits, your child may be able to get free school meals.
If you get certain benefits, your child may be able to get free school meals.
Find out on the GOV.UK website who can get free school meals.
If your child is eligible, contact your child’s school and ask for an application form. This may be called a Pupil Premium application form.
Fill in the form and return it to the school. The school will then send it to us to check.
We’ll tell the school if your child can get free school meals.
It's very important that you register for free school meals if you think your child may be able to get them.
Your child’s school will get additional government funding for each eligible child via the Pupil Premium.
The school will use this extra funding to improve pupils’ progress. It also provides additional resources and educational experiences that pupils may not otherwise access.
Each school may use the funding slightly differently and will publish what they do on their website.
Some examples of how Southwark schools use the Pupil Premium money include:
You can contact us by emailing schoolfood@southwark.gov.uk.
Children who attend nursery schools or classes can get free school meals during term time.
The government funds benefits related to free school meals, for pupils:
whose families get certain benefits
in reception, year 1 or year 2 class (age four to seven years old)
We provide additional funding to schools for:
every nursery child
key stage 2 pupils (children in years three to six, aged seven to 11 years old) so that all pupils can benefit from a hot, nutritious lunch
At secondary school, those who are entitled to benefits-related free school meals will get a free meal during term time.
Find out about the help you can get if you cannot afford food, and you can find out how to apply for free school meals.
Free, healthy, secondary school meals are available to some pupils from families that get Universal Credit.
Our schools provide a two-course lunch each day in line with national school food standards. This is to make sure all pupils get a healthy, balanced meal.
These standards require that pupils eat:
Deep-fried food is limited to no more than two portions per week and fizzy drinks, chocolate and sweets are restricted at lunchtimes.
If you need information about the school’s lunch menu or catering arrangements, or if your child has dietary requirements, contact the school.
If your child already gets benefits-related free school meals in term time, you cannot apply for the free healthy secondary school meals.
You do not need to apply for free healthy school meals but you do need to let your school know if you think your child may be entitled to benefits-related free school meals.
You can still provide a packed lunch instead of having a free healthy meal.
Free healthy school meals cater to special diets. Speak to your child's school for more information.
Free healthy secondary school meals are available to pupils who:
Your child will also need to be:
Applying for, and getting Southwark free healthy secondary school meals will not affect any government benefits you get or are entitled to.
Your child will get either a prepaid card or use their fingerprint to get a lunchtime meal. It can only be used to pay for lunchtime food provided by the school.
It cannot be used to pay for:
If they have not spent the day’s allowance it is not carried over to the next day.
All mainstream schools use cashless payments. So no-one will know your child is getting free school meals at the till or in the dining room.
Your child’s school will contact you and tell you how to apply.
They will send you an application form to complete. As part of the application, you need to show that your household gets or has recently applied for Universal Credit.
You will also need to provide the school with a:
We can fund meals for those pupils who are eligible to receive benefits-related free school meals.
We use part of the Household Support Fund to fund them.
Contact your child’s school about how to get free school meals during the holidays.
To ask us a question about your holiday free school meal voucher, contact us.