St Mary's C of E School Truro

St Mary's C of E School

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. Be an example to all believers, in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity."1 Timothy 4:12

Free School Meals

Cornwall Council encourages all children to have a healthy and nutritional meal at lunchtime, as well as a snack during morning break if that is wanted. It has been shown that children who have a nutritionally balanced meal, rather than one that has too much sugar and fat, are able to concentrate better on their lessons.

Infant Free School Meals
From 01 September 2014, all Key Stage 1 (Reception, Year 1 or Year 2) are entitled to receive a free school meal regardless of what benefits are claimed by their parent/carer.

If you are in receipt of benefits which would entitle your child to free school meals, your school may be entitled to receive funding (Pupil Premium) to support your child. Pupil Premium is additional funding that the Government gives to schools for each pupil where they are deemed to need further help. The money must be spent on that pupil to support their education, but it is for the school to determine how it is spent.

To see if you are entitled to Pupil Premium for your school, please check your eligibility below.

Are You Eligible?
There are currently 9,000 children in Cornwall in receipt of free school meals and in doing so are securing Pupil Premium funding for their school. However, we believe that there are many more that may be eligible.

Your child may be eligible for free school meals (and Pupil Premium for their school) if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits.

  • Income Support (IS)
  • Job Seekers' Allowance (Income-Based) and equal based Job Seekers Allowance.
  • Income Related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR) and equal based Employment and Support Allowance.
  • Child Tax Credit (CTC) with an Annual income of less than £16,190.
  • Guarantee Element of Pension Credit (GPC)
  • Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (IAA) Support
  • Universal Credit
You are temporarily eligible to claim free school meals if you receive a Working Tax Credit run on - this is the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit. In order to qualify for free school meals after the four week period expires, you will need to be in receipt of one of the other qualifying benefits listed above.

Children who get any of the above benefits in their own right (i.e they get benefits payments directly, instead of through a parent or guardian) can also get free school meals.

Children under the compulsory school age who are in full time education may also be able to get free school meals.

What would make me ineligible?

Please note that anyone claiming Working Tax Credit, Contribution-Based Job Seeker's Allowance and/or Contribution-Based Employment and Support Allowance is NOT eligible for free school meals or Pupil Premium, regardless of what other credit/benefits are being claimed.

For more information and to check eligibility go to: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/schoolmeals